Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins received good news after the Jaylen Waddle trade
The Miami Dolphins have continued tearing down their roster this offseason, as they have now agreed to a blockbustertrade that will send wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. Waddle was drafted with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and posted four 1,000-yard seasons in Miami. He leaves the team sixth in franchise history in receiving yards.
Prior to the 2024 season, Waddle signed a three-year, $84.75 million contract that was set to begin in the 2026 season. He was one of many Dolphins players to receive contract extensions that offseason, joining Jalen Ramsey, Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, none of whom remain on the current Dolphins roster. Additionally, the former Dolphins wide receiver never played for the team under that contract as he was traded prior to the extension being set to kick in.
Good News For the Miami Dolphins
Despite losing a talented player, who once led the league in yards per reception, the Dolphins received some good news out of the trade.Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson reported that the “Broncos are paying all future money owed Waddle, including full salary this year. Trade has been executed pending his passing of a physical tomorrow.”
With the Broncos taking on Waddle’s full salary, the Dolphins will still take on $26.3 million in dead money, according to OverTheCap. However,OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald viewed the trade as a positive move for Miami, as he wrote, “This is an amazing trade for Miami, assuming they did not pick up any salary. Better receivers than Waddle have gone for less than this and Miami’s path to being relevant again is about getting younger players and this is a great set of draft picks. Miami will take on $26.3 million in dead money for the trade and will receive a $3.08 million salary cap credit in 2027.”
Additionally, after the trade with the Broncos, Miami will now have seven draft picks in the top-100 of the upcoming NFL Draft, including two first-round picks.
Dolphins’ Draft Capital
The outcome of the draft will determine whether this trade was successful for the Dolphins or not. Aside from the seven top-100 picks, the Dolphins will have a total of 11 picks in the draft, whichSports Illustrated’s Alain Poupart noted was the most for the Dolphins since the 2020 Draft.
Dolphins fans will hope things turn out better than they did in the 2020 NFL Draft, when Miami selected quarterback Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert, Austin Jackson over Justin Jefferson, and Noah Igbinoghene over Jonathan Taylor. Of those players, only Jackson remains on the roster as he has one year left on his deal.
New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan had stated he wanted to build the team through the draft, and after this trade, he will get the opportunity to do so.Sullivan previously said, “The pillars will be a draft and develop philosophy. I’ve already spoken on that in previous interviews, but we will draft, develop and retain our own. There are things that come with that; No. 1 is culture. When you raise your own, people are vested, they’re bought in. There’s a financial component to it with rookie contracts, it keeps you in a healthy cap situation. But the most important thing is the culture piece of it.”