Achane's four-year, $64m extension makes him NFL's third-highest-paid running back

The Miami Dolphins agreed a four-year, $64 million extension with running back De'Von Achane, ESPN reported, citing a source. The deal makes the 24-year-old the third-highest-paid running back in the NFL.

Achane was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. He drew league-wide attention with a 4.32-second 40-yard time at the scouting combine, an outlier mark on a player whom teams looking for "home-run speed" had already flagged.

The first two seasons of his professional career produced an unusually broad usage map. Mike McDaniel's offence has lined Achane up both at traditional running back and out wide, and the yards-after-catch figures from short routes have justified that flexibility.

The $64 million headline figure, as ESPN's source described it, is divided between guarantees and performance-tied bonuses. The full structure will reveal which years carry out-windows. The Dolphins are expected to announce the full terms later.

League-wide pay at the running back position has taken a new direction over the last four years. General managers had moved away from issuing high guarantees at the spot, but Achane is emerging as one of the individual exceptions: his dual-purpose offensive output is a separate argument from the customary positional-wear debate.

ESPN noted that the Dolphins chose to lock in Achane as a central piece of the offence at the same tier as the starting offensive coordinator structure. Last season the team finished near the upper half of the league in rushing yards, but its long-run frequency hinged on a single back.

The contract sets up a balancing question across the rest of Miami's salary stack. The quarterback position and a star receiver already account for a large share of the cap. The new deal clarifies where Achane sits inside that structure.

Achane shared his first public reaction on social media. While the club's formal release is pending, the player put out a team-first message that referenced the seven-win opening run with which the Dolphins began last season.

League-wide, the long-term running back investment list has now closed another step. In coming weeks, the deal may reset the value formulas applied to other star backs.

Miami's preseason camp opens in the second half of July. Achane's catch-set count and lighter-weight usage will be among the most-discussed items on the offensive coordinator's desk next week.