General Manager Dennis Hickey groups Mike Pouncey with all-time greats

At Mike Pouncey’s press conference to announce the five-year contract extension, General Manager Dennis Hickey stopped short of comparing him to some of the all-time greats that played the center position for the Miami Dolphins. Calling it a great day for the Dolphins, Hickey described the kind of player Pouncey is and what they are looking for him over the next five years.

“This is a great day for the Miami Dolphins. To have the opportunity to lock up Mike Pouncey – a player that was drafted here, that was developed here. That’s a proven Pro Bowl performer at multiple positions. He’s proved himself on the field and is a quality person. We’re just excited that we have an opportunity to keep him here as our long-term center. The Miami Dolphins have a history of a lot of great centers with Jim Langer, with Dwight Stephenson. Mike has been an excellent player in the league and we’re looking forward to our future with Mike as we bring him here.”

Of course, Hickey thanked everyone who played a part in the contract negotiations, beginning with owner Stephen Ross, who Hickey described as having the commitment and drive to build a winning football team.

“There are a lot of thanks that go into getting this type of deal done for the Miami Dolphins organization – the commitment of (Owner) Stephen Ross to build a talented team and be able to lock up players like Mike, and his commitment in allocating resources. From Mike’s agent Joel Segal to (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike Tannenbaum, (Executive Vice President of Football Administration) Dawn Aponte, (Director of Football Administration) Ryan Herman, a lot of people that worked really hard in addition to our coaching staff. So there are a lot of thanks that need to go around to make this thing happen, but we’re very excited that it did happen and very excited for Mike.”

There have been rumblings about a contract extension over the past year and it was no surprise that a contract got done. Now that Pouncey is locked up, the Dolphins can turn their attention to an extension for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Doing that will put a stamp on the Miami Dolphins’ offseason thus far.

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs

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