Joe Philbin to be offered contract extension

In a move that really should not be a surprise, the Miami Dolphins are set to offer head coach Joe Philbin a contract extension, according to a report from the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. The move will prevent Philbin from coaching the team on the final year of his contract.

Salguero reports that the move actually has two purposes, first to prevent the lame-duck scenario with Philbin, and second to allow the Dolphins to protect themselves, in case Philbin is able to turn around the Dolphins this year. In that case, Philbin could dramatically raise his demands for his next deal.

The move does not prevent any changes next year, if the Dolphins were to falter in 2015. In the 2011 offseason, the Dolphins signed Tony Sparano to a contract extension, then fired him before the season was complete. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross paid Sparano the remainder of the balance on his contract, something that would likely happen again if Philbin were let go after a subpar 2015 season.

The details of the offer are not known.