Trading Tyreek Wouldn't Be a First for Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have a long history of trading high-profile wide receivers
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) is tackled by New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis (32) during a punt return during the first half at MetLife Stadium in the 2024 season finale.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) is tackled by New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis (32) during a punt return during the first half at MetLife Stadium in the 2024 season finale. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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We're approaching a month since the end of the Miami Dolphins season, and there's still no definitive word as to whether Tyreek Hill absolutely wants to stay with the team or whether the team definitely is going to be shopping him.

What we should know is that the Dolphins as an organization haven't been afraid to trade high-profile wide receivers who have worn out their welcome for one reason or another, regardless of who's calling the shots.

Since the start of the millennium, the Dolphins have traded away 13 wide receivers, usually for draft picks, the most recent example being DeVante Parker being sent to the New England Patriots in 2022 along with a fifth-round pick for a third-round selection.

But while that move simply was about moving on from a player who didn't fit into the future plans because of skill set or diminishing production, the same couldn't be true for Jarvis Landry in 2018, Mike Wallace in 2015 or Brandon Marshall in 2012.

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STUDYING THE CASES OF LANDRY, MARSHALL AND WALLACE

Those were three wide receivers who still were high-impact players who the Dolphins sent away for various reasons, with addition by subtraction being a big reason with Wallace and Marshall.

With Landry in 2018, the biggest issue was his desire for a big contract, one the Dolphins weren't willing to give him despite him leading the NFL in 2017 when he broke his own franchise record with 112 catches, a mark that has since been topped by Hill twice with 119 in both 2022 and 2023.

Because Landry was more a volume receiver than a difference-maker, maybe the Dolphins were justified in making that move, though the return (fourth- and seventh-round picks) they got from the Cleveland Browns was pretty weak.

Landry got his big contrat in Cleveland, but he never came close to matching the 112 catches, though he did set a career high with 1,1174 yards in 2019, his final of five Pro Bowl seasons before he last played in 2022.

Marshall was traded after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, seemingly justifying the Dolphins giving the Denver Broncos two second-round picks to get him.

But Marshall also was, to be polite, high maintenance and perhaps not the ideal teammate, so the Dolphins sent him to the Chicago Bears for two third-round selections. Marshall would go on to play for three other teams, making it six teams in 13 seasons, which tells you all you need to know about a player as gifted as he was.

Wallace wasn't nearly that kind of impact player for the Dolphins and he grew disenchanted with his role and the offense, at one point letting teammate Brandon Gibson conduct a postgame interview for him.

After scoring 10 touchdowns in 2014, the Dolphins sent him along with a seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round selection, which almost amounted to giving him and his contract away.

Along with Marshall and Landry, one other wide receiver traded by the Dolphins went on to make the Pro Bowl with another.

Actually, Wes Welker had the best career of any wide receiver traded by the Dolphins. His situation in the 2007 offseason was a bit different, though. He was a promising young player and had led the Dolphins in receptions in 2006, but with a modest 67 and a modest 10.3 average.

But Welker was a restricted free agent and the New England Patriots, looking at him as the ideal slot receiver for Tom Brady, reportedly were prepared to offer him an offer sheet with a poison pill that would have made it difficult for the Dolphins to match.

In the end, the Dolphins traded Welker to the Patriots for picks in the second and seventh rounds, and Welker's career exploded in New England and later with the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning to the point he was a Hall of Fame nominee this year.

The situation with Hill is different obviously because it looks more like those of Marshall and Wallace.

The question now is whether the Dolphins will follow suit with what they did with those two.

DOLPHINS TRADES OF WIDE RECEIVERS SINCE 2000

2022 — DeVante Parker (and a 5th-round pick) to New England for a 3rd-round pick

2021 — Jakeem Grant to Chicago for a 6th-round pick in 2023

2020 — Isaiah Ford to New England for a 7th-round pick

2019 — Kenny Stills to Houston as part of the Laremy Tunsil trade

2018 — Jarvis Landry for a 4th-round pick in 2018 and a 7th-round pick in 2019

2015 — Mike Wallace (and a 7th-round pick) to Minnesota for a 5th-round pick

2013 — Davone Bess (and 4th- and 7th-round picks) to Cleveland for 4th- and 5th-round picks

2012 — Brandon Marshall to Chicago for 3rd-round picks in 2012 and 2013

2010 — Greg Camarillo to Minnesota for CB Benny Sapp ... Ted Ginn Jr. to San Francisco for a 5th-round pick

2007 — Chris Chambers to San Diego for a 2nd-round pick ... Wes Welker to New England for 2nd- and 7th-round picks

2000 — Nate Jacquet to San Diego for a 6th-round pick


Published
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.