Dolphins Snare G Justin Smiley With 5-Year $25 Million Contract

The Miami Dolphins have signed unrestricted free agent guard Justin Smiley to a 5-year $25 million contract, including $9 million in guaranteed money, for a player the lowly San Francisco 49ers didn't even want to keep around. Smiley was a 2nd round pick by San Francisco in the 2004 NFL Draft, and has started 49 games over the past 4 years, but San Francisco wasn't willing to pay to keep him, thinking they can improve the line in other ways.

The contract was first leaked and reported to the media roughly 27 minutes after the start of the free agency period opened, so the immediate question coming to minds of many League observers is, how could the Dolphins have worked out an agreement so fast without tampering with Justin Smiley? Players entering the free agent pool because of an expiring contract are only allowed to talk to the team that previously held their rights, until the opening of free agency (February 29th, 12:01am ET this year), and any team that contacts a player or his agent before that time is engaging in tampering.