Armstead ultimately decided to walk away after taking a pay cut back in February while still deciding on his future. The 33-year-old left tackle has decided to hang up his cleats after a dozen years in the NFL, which he split between New Orleans and Miami. The five-time Pro Bowl selection made 131 career starts, with 93 of those coming with the Saints. While it doesn’t come as a total surprise, Armstead’s retirement leaves the Dolphins with a significant hole to fill on their offensive line heading into the NFL Draft where they hold the 13th overall selection.

In other words, Armstead was set to make $28.6 million, and now has gifted roughly half of that to the Dolphins in cap space by cutting his salary down. Armstead, who turns 34 in July, has been a warrior in playing through frequent injuries with the Dolphins the past three years. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters earlier today at the NFL Combine that the team is “operating as though we’re moving on” from Armstead. Patrick Paul will be in line to start at left tackle if Armstead hangs it up.

Retirement, per McDaniel, is on the table for the 12-year NFL veteran who has struggled mightily with a range of injury issues over the past three seasons in Miami. The Dolphins will reportedly operate as if Armstead will retire this offseason. Pro Football Focus graded Armstead, 33, as the league’s ninth best pass-blocking offensive lineman in 2024. He’s signed with the Dolphins through the 2026 season.

Russini had a chance to speak with Armstead, who is expected to meet with the Dolphins to discuss his plans for the upcoming season. The 33-year-old vet is set to earn just over $22 million next season but has dealt with a myriad of injuries for the last several seasons. Even when he’s healthy, Armstead seems to constantly be dealing with something that puts his weekly status up in the air. However, it is worth noting that the 15 games he appeared in this season were his most since 2019. When he’s available, Armstead is still one of the top tackles in the game. He heard a solid PFF pass-blocking grade of 84.8 last season and has allowed just six sacks and 51 pressures since 2021. With rookie second-rounder Patrick Paul waiting for his chance to start, it’s possible the Armstead and the Dolphins find a way to move on if the veteran tackle wants to continue his playing career. He could carry a dead cap hit just north of $18.5 million if he was designated as a pre-June 1 cut, but that number softens to $7.8 million if Amstead is cut post-June 1.