The Miami Dolphins landed a big fish on defense Tuesday to complement an earlier deal with wide receiver Mike Wallace, reaching agreement on a five-year, $35 million contract with former Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, the Baltimore Sun reported.
On the first day that teams could negotiate with free agents, the Dolphins were one of the more active participants, particularly when it came to big-name players in Wallace, who left Pittsburgh for Miami, and Ellerbe.
Ellerbe’s reported deal would make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players at his position.
The Dolphins also agreed to one-year deal to re-sign unrestricted free-agent safety Chris Clemons.
With Ellerbee coming on board, linebacker Karlos Dansby was released. Letting him go saves the Dolphins $6.05 million against the cap. His cap number in 2014 is even higher — $11.575 million.
Considered one of the top linebackers available in free agency, Ellerbe finished the 2012 season with 89 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 13 regular-season games and 32 tackles and an interception in four playoff games for the Super Bowl winners. He took injured Ray Lewis’ place in the middle while Lewis was sidelined during the season.
The Ravens’ roster took an early hit in free agency Tuesday, losing Ellerbe and outside linebacker Paul Kruger, who is headed to Cleveland. Baltimore also traded wide receiver Anquan Boldin to San Francisco.
According to the Sun, the Ravens and Ellerbe negotiated throughout the day but failed to reach a deal.