Olivier Vernon compares free agency to 'being a kid on Christmas Eve'
Olivier Vernon was born in Miami, Fla. He played high school football at American High ... in Miami before attending — you guessed it — the University of Miami. The defensive end was eventually drafted by the Dolphins in the third round of the 2012 draft to round out the South Florida trend.
After more than a decade of playing football in his hometown, the 25-year-old Vernon is set to pack his bags and move elsewhere. Vernon officially became a free agent on Wednesday following the Dolphins' decision to remove the transition tag from his name.
Given his age (25) and his production (29 sacks in four years), Vernon is going to command big money on the open market. It's the first time he'll be a free agent, and it's his one real chance to sign a lucrative, long-term deal with a team. Depending on the deal he's given, it could be his last opportunity to secure his future.
Vernon penned a piece for The MMQB on Wednesday, detailing what it feels like — not only to leave Miami for the first time, but to have teams bidding on his services:
“I know I’m going to be fine wherever I end up playing,” Vernon said. “I know the kind of person I am and the type of work ethic that I have, and I’ll be all right wherever I go. I think my mom is probably more nervous than I am. I’m just really excited right now because I never thought I would be able to experience being a free agent.”
While playing in a city other than Miami will be strange and likely difficult for Vernon, seeing as it's his hometown, he'll have the chance to make more money elsewhere, locking up a future for his family. Now that it's just a matter of signing a deal, the anticipation is killing him:
“I don’t think the reality of it has actually soaked in yet,” he continued. “I guess you could say that it’s like being a kid on Christmas Eve, teams will be bidding on me, me! for the first time in my career. I’m thankful for the opportunity I got when the Dolphins selected me in the 2012 draft, but at the same time, nothing was ever given to me in my career. I didn’t play that much my first year in the league, and I had to work hard to earn my starting role in my second year. And now, I feel like I’ve earned this moment.”
To "replace" Vernon, so to speak, Miami has agreed to sign Mario Williams to a two-year deal. Cameron Wake is expected to return in that regard, but even that's not a certainty.
“Former Bills defensive end Mario Williams just agreed on a two-year contract with Miami,” Vernon said. “I don’t really know what’s going on in their minds upstairs in the front office, but they probably thought to pick up another pass rusher as an insurance policy. Especially if you lose three defensive ends -- me, Derrick Shelby and Cam Wake, you really never know.”
The Dolphins also just completed a trade that will bring in Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso from the Eagles, which likely spells the end of Brent Grimes' tenure with the team.
Regardless of how it all plays out, the horizon looks sunny and bright for Vernon — despite the fact that he'll be living somewhere other than Miami for the first time.