A trade of Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker this offseason was somewhat expected. For it to come within the division was a bit of a surprise.
The Dolphins agreed to trade Parker to the New England Patriots on Saturday, along with a fifth-round pick in this month’s draft, for a 2023 third-round pick , according to a league source.
Parker became expendable after the Dolphins added wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. this offseason — Hill via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and Wilson in free agency after his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys. They will be paired with standout receiver Jaylen Waddle going into his second year. Tight end Mike Gesicki, who was given the franchise tag, also often lines up in the slot or out wide.
In seven seasons in Miami since he was the team’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft, Parker caught 338 passes for 4,727 yards and 24 touchdowns. Often injured, Parker missed 20 games in that span and played through injury in several more.
Parker was previously the longest-tenured active Dolphin, a distinction which now belongs to Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard after he reached a record-setting extension with the team on Friday night.
The Dolphins were able to find a trade partner for Parker, who was slated for a salary cap hit of $8,744,110 in 2022. The dead cap taken on had Miami simply released him would’ve been $5.4 million, only just over $3.3 million gained in cap space had the team gone that route. Keeping Parker another season and releasing him in the 2023 offseason would’ve saved the Dolphins $6.3 million in 2023 cap space. Essentially, the likely options were either to trade him this offseason or release him in 2023.
Miami general manager Chris Grier, speaking on Monday from NFL meetings, said the Dolphins had received calls about Parker from teams interested in trading. He did indicate, however, that he felt Parker was part of the plan for 2022.
“We like having good players, you know? We feel really good about that receiver room,” Grier said from The Breakers in Palm Beach. “The expectation is he’ll be here, but we always listen. I’ve always said here, and the guys that know me, we’ll always listen for all players on the roster.”
The Dolphins are now down to four picks in late April’s draft. They have the compensatory pick from the San Francisco 49ers at the end of the third round, No. 102 overall, as their first selection, a fourth-round pick and two in the seventh round. Their first- and second-round selections were dealt to the Chiefs in the Hill trade.
Conversely, Miami now has five picks in the 2023 draft that will be earlier than their first 2022 selection. The Dolphins have the 49ers’ first-rounder and Patriots’ third-rounder, on top of their own picks in the first three rounds.
In dealing the 6-foot-3 Parker, 29, the Dolphins lose a possession receiver whose big body would have complemented the smaller, speedy combination of Hill and Waddle. Parker was capable of catching contested passes over defensive backs.
Preston Williams, whom the Dolphins re-signed this offseason, is also able to play that role. Miami also expects Lynn Bowden to contribute at receiver after he spent the 2021 campaign on injured reserve. Other receivers on the roster include Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft Cody Core and DeVonte Dedmon.
Parker was the only remaining Dolphin that went back to the Joe Philbin era as his rookie season was in 2015, Philbin’s last when he was fired four games in. Parker had played under Philbin, Dan Campbell, who finished that year off as interim coach, Adam Gase, Brian Flores and is now traded before new coach Mike McDaniel leads the team for his first season.
Parker’s best season with the Dolphins came when he recorded career highs of 72 receptions for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns in 2019, working mostly with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick as the team went 5-11 in Flores’ first year as coach.
The Patriots were in need of receivers to give second-year quarterback Mac Jones more pass-catching targets. Now, Parker will face the Dolphins twice a year in the AFC East. He has two seasons remaining on his current deal.
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