As the last call for _Sunday Splash!_ reports before the trade deadline arrives, many are planting flags on possible trades to be made by the Dolphins. And while interim G.M. Champ Kelly may be trying to make the kind of moves that [will give him a chance](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/is-an-immediate-fire-sale-coming-in-miami) at the permanent job (as one source put it last night, Kelly currently has “no chance” at the post-2025 gig), Kelly doesn’t have the keys to the car.
Any decisions regarding trades will be approved, or not, by owner Stephen Ross.
The bigger the name, the more closely Ross will look at the deal. As to receiver Jaylen Waddle, that absolutely would be a trade ultimately made by Ross, not by Kelly.
Waddle’s contract, as the receiver market goes, is very favorable at $28.5 million per year. He’s one of the few great players the Dolphins have. A building block for the next regime.
And he’s good enough to fetch a significant haul if/when the next regime convinces Ross to move on. With any draft picks secured by Tuesday no different from the draft picks that would be secured in a postseason move, there’s no reason to rush it.
Unless, of course, Ross really is trying to tank the 2025 season.