Dealer's Choice: DeVante Parker Claims He Picked Patriots

DeVante Parker on becoming a member of the New England Patriots: "I chose to get traded here."

New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker made it very clear to the Miami Dolphins front office that New England was his preferred destination, if he was to be moved via trade.

Given Miami’s recent acquisition of pass catchers Tyreek Hill (via trade with Kansas City) and Cedrick Wilson (via free agency), as well as dual-threat running back Chase Edmonds, Parker was considered to be potentially expendable for the Dolphins. At the end of the day, he was the odd-man-out of what promises to be one of the league’s most talented receiving corps — featuring Hill, Wilson, star sophomore Jaylen Waddle and tight end Mike Gesicki among others.

With his days in Miami numbered, Parker set his sights on the Patriots.

"I chose to get traded here," Parker told members of the New England media on Thursday in his first interview since the April 2 trade.

“The Patriots have a great organization,” Parker continued. “The fans are just outstanding. And I know from experience coming in here how the fans were. It’s just something that I wanted to be a part of. They’re die-hard fans … Patriots fans for their whole lifetime, season tickets and everything. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”

DeVante Parker, Stephon Gilmore

DeVante Parker gets by Bills’ saftey Jordan Poyer

DeVante Parker

Earlier this month, New England secured Parker’s services, via a rare intra-divisional trade with their AFC East rivals. New England sent a third-round selection in the 2023 draft to the Dolphins, in exchange for Parker and a fifth-round selection in 2022. The trade allowed the Pats to acquire a veteran, outside receiver at a reasonable price, while Miami was able to shed salary for the upcoming season, as well as gain an additional draft chip for 2023.

In addition to allowing Parker to join the team of his choice, it also provided the Patriots with a player which they have apparently coveted for quite some time.

“He’s got a very, very good skill set. He’s a big athlete that runs well,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Parker during a 2020 interview. “[He] has good hands, good run after the catch ability, and good quickness for his size. So, he presents a lot of problems on deep balls. He’s a big target on the end of routes, in cuts and crossing routes, things like that. He’s strong and can break tackles as a catcher or run player … He attacks all three levels of the defense and can be productive at all three spots.”

For Parker, the feeling was evidently mutual.

Shortly after his trade to the Patriots, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport offered some insight on the the 29-year-old veteran wideout’s desire to make Foxboro, Massachusetts, his home for 2022. “DeVante Parker wanted to be a member of the New England Patriots,” Raporport said. “He didn’t have a no-trade clause, so he didn’t have the power like that. It’s not like he’s Russell Wilson. But from my understanding, he made it very clear that he wanted to be a member of the Patriots, and as soon as [Dolphins] general manager Chris Grier realized that was the best deal that they could get, it worked out well for all sides.”

(Cred: USA Today Sports Images)

Mac Jones

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

DeVante Parker gets YAC against the Patriots in 2021

DeVante Parker finds the endzone

In the end, Parker got his wish, placing him exactly where he wanted to be. 

“My agent was telling me what the situation was, and the options I had for a team to go to,” Parker said on Thursday. “The first ones on my list were the Patriots. I’m just excited that he was able to get everything done.”

While it is far too early to assess the success of Parker’s trade to New England, it is certain that this season’s upcoming meetings between the two AFC East rivals have become a whole lot more interesting.