Dolphins' Jones: Xavien Howard’s holdout ‘none of my business’

All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard skipped the Miami Dolphins minicamp this past week due to contract issues.

Howard signed a five-year, $75.25 million deal in 2019 to keep him with the Dolphins through the 2024 campaign, but he's seeking a restructured deal after leading the league with 10 interceptions last season.

The 27-year-old is apparently not thrilled about having the club's second-highest salary behind teammate Byron Jones' five-year, $85.2 million contract signed last offseason.

Jones held no animosity towards his fellow corner Friday when asked about Howard's holdout.

"I would love to have him, of course, but like you said, it's none of my business," Jones said, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

"Obviously, what he did was completely special and unlike anything I've ever seen before. ... So yes, we'd love to have him back, of course."

Jones finished his debut campaign with 37 tackles, four passes defended, and two interceptions.

Howard, meanwhile, bounced back last season after missing 11 contests in 2019 to earn his second Pro Bowl nod. The 2016 second-round draft pick finished with a league-high 20 passes defended to go along with 51 tackles.

"We've obviously had a lot of talks and conversations about that, and we'll continue to have those and keep them internal, but it's a very unique conversation," head coach Brian Flores said, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.

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