The Miami Hurricanes have provided a ton of NFL talent over the past few decades, sending dozens upon dozens of players to the professional level.
In fact, if you compile a 22-person starting lineup (we'll set aside special teams for the moment) an all-Miami alumni roster would net just under $102 million when considering their current NFL contracts ($101,999,668 to be exact). That means under the 2016 NFL salary cap (about $155 million), you could get the 22 highest-paid Miami players at each offensive and defensive position.
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It's important to note this starting lineup is entirely based on money. Because of rookie contract structures, better young players often make less money than veterans on the roster. Therefore a player or two might look out of place on this list — they're on the list because they make the most money of any Miami alum at their position, not necessarily because of talent.
So here's a look at a 22-person starting lineup made entirely of former Miami players:
Note* — All contract data reflects the average yearly salary for each player. Contract data courtesy of Spotrac.com.
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Offense: $53,318,669 per year
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Kaaya | QB | $630,839 | Detroit |
| Lamar Miller | RB | $6,500,000 | Houston |
| Jimmy Graham | TE | $10,000,000 | Seattle |
| Greg Olsen | TE | $7,500,000 | Carolina |
| Allen Hurns | WR | $10,012,500 | Jacksonville |
| Travis Benjamin | WR | $6,000,000 | L.A. Chargers |
| Orlando Franklin | OL | $7,300,000 | L.A. Chargers |
| Ereck Flowers | OL | $3,597,930 | N.Y. Giants |
| Eric Winston | OL | $1,080,000 | Cincinnati |
| Brandon Linder | OL | $697,400 | Jacksonville |
| Jon Feliciano | OL | $685,163 | Oakland |
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Defense: $48,680,999 per year
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivier Vernon | DE | $17,000,000 | N.Y. Giants |
| Calais Campbell | DT | $15,000,000 | Jacksonville |
| Allen Bailey | DT | $6,250,000 | Kansas CIty |
| Al-Quadin Muhammad | DE | $637,553 | New Orleans |
| Sean Spence | LB | $2,500,000 | Indianapolis |
| Ray-Ray Armstrong | LB | $1,550,000 | San Francisco |
| Denzel Perryman | LB | $1,194,119 | L.A. Chargers |
| Artie Burns | DB | $2,397,745 | Steelers |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | DB | $765,552 | L.A. Chargers |
| Deon Bush | DB | $716,555 | Chicago |
| Corn Elder | DB | $669,475 | Carolina |
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Highest remaining contracts
| Player | Pos. | Salary | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Gore | RB | $4,000,000 | Indianapolis |
| Matt Bosher | P | $2,531,000 | Atlanta |
| David Njoku | TE | $2,381,000 | Cleveland |
| Phillip Dorsett | WR | $2,033,854 | Indianapolis |
