The Miami Dolphins signed Cameron Wake to a four-year contract extension Sunday, ending what must be one of the shortest contract holdouts in NFL history.
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but ESPN reported Sunday that the contract is worth up to $49 million, with $20 million guaranteed. The Dolphins announced the deal on the team's Twitter feed Sunday afternoon.
Wake had been entering the final year of a four-year deal signed in 2009, but wanted a raise from the $615,000 salary he was set to make in 2012. He threatened to skip all team activities until a new deal was inked, sitting out the Dolphins' voluntary minicamp in April and beginning of OTAs later that month.
Wake has spent three seasons with the Dolphins after beginning his career in the Canadian Football League. A regular starter for the past two seasons, he led the team in sacks both years with 14 in 2010 and 8.5 in 2011. Wake is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, leading all players in sacks, QB hits, QB pressures and holding penalties drawn in 2011 with 90. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2010.
Before joining the Dolphins, he spent two season in the CFL, winning the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award with the BC Lions in 2007 and 2008. He recorded 39 sacks during those two seasons. Wake was also named CFL Rookie of the Year in 2007. Wake was undrafted as a college senior out of Penn State in 2005.
In a statement released by the team, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said of Wake on Sunday, "Cam has been a productive player ever since he joined the Dolphins, and has been a great teammate and an outstanding citizen. His work ethic and professionalism on the field and in the locker room has made him a leader by example. We also appreciate all the community activities he has done. We always try to reward our own players for their contributions to the team and Cam certainly deserves that recognition. I want to thank Cam and Paul for their hard work in getting this extension done."
Wake's deal will probably eat up all the salary cap space the Dolphins have once they sign their recent draftees to rookie contracts, but it also means the team will not have to use the franchise tag on him after the 2012 season.
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The team's next contract priorities will likely be working out deals with LT Jake Long, DT Randy Starks, and WR Brian Hartline, all of whom will become free agents after the 2012 season.
