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From a base salary of $615,000 in 2012 to a contract reportedly worth up to $49 million (we’ll break it all down once we get our eyes on the official details), Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake has dramatically altered his financial situation. In comments distributed by the team on Sunday, Wake said it’s just the next step in his uncanny career development.

“It’s kind of like taking things to another level,” Wake said, “kind of like when I came down here from the CFL. You always try to get better. You always want to reach the next level and I’ve been trying to do that since the moment I stepped on the football field at Penn State. Having a situation like this . . . it’s going through the journey. There aren’t too many guys who can say that. . . . Being released from the Giants, being out of football, going to the CFL and doing well up there, coming back, being inactive my first few games here with the Dolphins, playing in the Pro Bowl — it’s been an amazing, amazing journey. It’s definitely been an amazing ride.”

Wake’s situation shows why so many players will continue to chase their dreams, even as they get chased out of camp after camp after camp. With offseason rosters now at 90, that means 37 guys per team (a total of 1,184 men) ultimately will be asked to turn in their playbooks.

And Wake’s case should serve as an inspiration to players who may be getting ready to give up the fight, along with a great example for those who cash in. “I want to stay humble with it,” Wake said. “I have never been one of those guys. I am not looking at a helicopter or diamonds or big tiger or nothing like that. . . . I am kind of one of those guys that [gets] the things that I need and most of the things I want [are] well below my needs. Like they said, ‘Wine money with beer tastes.’ I keep it pretty simple and hopefully [save money] for a rainy day in the future and hopefully for generations to come.”

Wine money with beer tastes. That’s the best motto any pro athlete — and anyone who has found themselves currently with more money than they need — can employ.