The Miami Dolphins have signed defensive lineman Zach Sieler to a three-year contract extension, the team announced Sunday, with a source telling ESPN's Adam Schefter the deal could be worth up to $38.65 million and includes $20 million guaranteed.
Sieler, 27, has appeared in 53 straight games for the Dolphins since joining the team as a waiver claim in December 2019. He has totaled 10 sacks and three forced fumbles for Miami.
Before the new deal, which runs through 2026, Sieler was set to become a free agent after the 2023 season.
The extension comes as fellow defensive lineman Christian Wilkins has been seeking a new contract before entering the 2023 regular season on the fifth year of his rookie deal.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel applauded Sieler's journey, calling him an example for other NFL players -- particularly as initial roster cuts approach.
"Zach epitomizes such an important thing about the journey of an NFL player," McDaniel said Sunday. "You're talking about it a guy that's earned every cent he's been paid."
Sieler recorded the fifth-most tackles in the NFL among defensive linemen last season with 70. His run stop win rate of 38.2% since 2020 is the 15th-best mark for defensive linemen. He played a career-high 877 snaps in 2022 and figures to play a major role in Miami's defense once again -- especially if contract negotiations with fellow Wilkins continue into the regular season.
McDaniel called Sieler's deal "independent of Christian" and suggested the Dolphins have "a good amount of players" they want to keep in South Florida. He said last week that he wasn't concerned with Wilkins' contract negotiations spilling into the regular season, simply because he hasn't thought about it.
In an expression of his unhappiness with his current contract situation, Wilkins has not participated in team drills at practice for the past two weeks. He has been present each day, however, taking part in individual drills.
Sieler began his career with the Baltimore Ravens as a 2018 seventh-round pick. He appeared in six games for the Ravens over two seasons before being waived.
ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this report.