The Miami Dolphins have had some memorable moments in their last 50 years or first if you are one of those half-full kinds of people. Some of those memorable moments came in the way of trades.
Making a trade for a player can have a long-lasting effect on a franchise. Sometimes those trades work out very well for a team and more often than not, they have long-lasting repercussions that can haunt a franchise for years to come.
Over the course of the teams existence Miami had established itself as one of the premier teams in the NFL. Since the turn of the century that hasn’t exactly been the case. On Monday night the Dolphins were once again eliminated from post-season contention and can finish the 2015 season no better than .500 with three games still remaining on the schedule.
Looking back over the last 10 years, some of the more recent trades have indeed impacted the current team on the field. While Don Shula had his share of mistakes when it came to the team he coached for three decades, the Dolphins have had far more trades turn out poorly since he left the team.
From Jimmy Johnson to Bill Parcells, from Randy Mueller to Jeff Ireland, here is a look at the 10 worst trades since Don Shula left the team.
Next: Vontae Davis
Vontae Davis’ reputation in the NFL is growing rapidly.
Number 10
Vontae Davis traded to Colts- 2012
Nothing was worse than watching Davis walk into Jeff Ireland’s office and being told he was being traded to the Colts. Davis was shocked but making matters worse was the fact that HBO was filming the entire thing. “I want to call my grandma” became a media teaser all season. The trade sent Davis to the Colts just before the start of the season for a 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft. Miami used that pick to draft his replacement Jamar Taylor. Unfortunately Taylor has yet to make any real impact in the Dolphins secondary aside from negative ones. Davis is still playing at a very consistent level in Indianapolis and is their top cornerback.
The trade wasn’t the worst trade by far but having to watch Davis’ reaction was almost embarrassing. The Davis trade also gave Dolphins fans a glimpse into the coaching decisions or lack thereof of Joe Philbin. When Jeff Ireland asked Philbin about trading Davis, Philbin simply said, “I don’t know. What do you think?”. The entire Hard Knocks episode played out as dysfunctional family. The irony is that only four seasons later everyone involved with this trade would be gone.
Next: Jason Taylor
Number 9
Jason Taylor traded to Redskins- 2008
Jason Taylor and Bill Parcells did not mix from the start. Taylor accepted an off-season invitation to join the ABC hit series Dancing with the Stars. Bill Parcells was none to thrilled with the decision instead expecting Taylor to stay close to the training facility. Further tension began to boil over and eventually Parcells found a suitor for Taylor. The Redskins gave up a 2nd round pick in 2009 and a 7th round pick in 2010 for Taylor.
After one season in Washington, Taylor was done and moved on. The trade didn’t work out too well for the Redskins but it wasn’t exactly a great trade for the Dolphins either. Miami used the Taylor trade draft picks on Pat White in round two of the 2009 draft and traded the 7th round pick eventually drafting Austin Spitler in round 7. Taylor would move on to play for the NY Jets before returning to the Dolphins for a final stint before retiring.
What makes this trade bad is the simple fact Miami wasted the picks they received from the Redskins. Pat White played one season and never made it in the NFL. Austin Spitler was a special teams player but never developed into anything more. Instead, Dolphins fans watched the best player the team had in this century casually be cast aside. For Pat White.
Next: Trent Green
Number 8
Trent Green for a 5th – 2007
In 2007 the Dolphins needed a quarterback in a big way. Nick Saban failed in his attempt to land a franchise quarterback (more on that in a later slide). The Kansas City Chiefs had a quarterback to spare so the Dolphins opted to send Kansas City a 5th round draft pick for Trent Green.
The Dolphins basically got one touchdown and one game per draft pick for Green. Green started five games and threw five touchdowns for the Dolphins before exiting the season with a concussion. Green was coming off a season ending concussion in Kansas City and had a recent history of sustaining concussive hits. The Dolphins looked beyond that and assumed that they could keep him healthy. Unfortunately Miami’s offensive line wasn’t very good and Green took seven sacks in his five games with Miami.
It’s hard to say this was a horrible trade given the fact Miami only gave up a 5th round pick to get him but the Dolphins knew of his medical history and cast that knowledge aside. Green was a one and done QB in Miami. He would return to St. Louis for a final season in 2008 starting one game before sustaining another concussion. He finally retired at the end of the 2008 season.
Next: Ricky Williams
Mandatory Credit: MiamiDolphins.com
Number 7
Ricky Williams for two 1st’s
On March 8th of 2002 the Dolphins were looking to make a big move. Dave Wannstedt believed his team was one player away from making huge strides in the AFC. So he traded for Ricky Williams. Williams was one of the best running backs in the league and the Dolphins had no problem giving up the two first round picks and a 4th for the enigmatic runner.
Williams had immediate positive impact on the team rushing for over 1,800 yards and making the Pro-Bowl. Three times in his seasons with the Dolphins Williams rushed for more than 1,000 yards. He scored 48 times on the ground and six through the air. Williams is still one of the top rushers in Dolphins history after having spent seven of his seasons as a member of the Dolphins.
So why is this such a bad trade? Well it is and it isn’t. The intentions of this trade were good but William’s had a lot of issues. Specifically with speaking to the media. His bouts with depression led him to quit two weeks prior to the 2004 season. He walked away and left the country. It would later be reported that Williams had failed a drug test and was looking at serving a suspension. The following year Nick Saban convinced Williams to return to football.
Williams, after having sat out the 2004 season missed the first four games of the year due to his suspension. He would not eclipse 1,000 yards. Following the season Williams would be suspended again by the NFL and sit out the entire 2006 season. He would return in 2007 but an injury would cost him all but one game. In 2008 Williams would return to the Dolphins at the urging of Bill Parcells. He would play three more seasons for the team before finishing his career in Baltimore for one final season in 2011.
Of the seven seasons Williams was in Miami for, three of those were missed due to drug suspensions or injury. Two first round picks was a lot to give up for the aggravation. But it sure was fun watching him run.
Next: Mike Wallace
Oct 20, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace (11) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Number 6
Mike Wallace traded to Vikings -2015
The Miami Dolphins opened the 2013 NFL new year with the biggest wide-receiver prize on the market. The super fast and elusive Mike Wallace. Wallace had been a top target for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger but there had been some contentious moments between Wallace and the Pittsburgh front office. For starters, Wallace had threatened to sit out without a new contract. There were rumors that Wallace had become a locker room distraction as well. Miami didn’t care.
The Dolphins lacked a deep threat receiver following the trade of Brandon Marshall, more on that later, they had a new young quarterback entering his 2nd season as a pro and Wallace was supposed to be the answer.
It didn’t take long for the wheels to fall off this ride. Wallace began to display the same immature characteristics he had shown in Pittsburgh. An eventual rift developed in the locker room with members of the team supporting Wallace and not Tannehill. In 2014 the Dolphins hit a wall with Wallace and the production simply never matured. Tannehill’s inability to throw the deep pass became a huge point of contention within the team.
Entering the 2015 season the Dolphins had enough. Willing to eat the remainder of the guaranteed portions of the Wallace contract, Miami sent him to Minnesota for a 5th round pick in the 2015 draft. The Dolphins used that pick in running back Jay Ajayi. What makes this trade so bad is simply the amount of money the Dolphins wasted on Wallace knowing he had “diva” issues in the past. Yet two years later Wallace was being dumped. Miami even had to throw in a 7th round pick to sweeten the deal for the Vikings.
Next: Dannell Ellerbe
Aug 16, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (59) calls a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Number 5
Dannell Ellerbe traded to New Orleans
The Dolphins thought very highly of Dannell Ellerbe when they surprisingly signed him as a free agent in 2013. Ellerbe had played very well in Baltimore in place of an injured Ray Lewis. Miami expected him to continue that play in South Florida. Ellerbe had his moments but for the most part he was a square peg surrounded by round holes. Ellerbe didn’t fit the system all that well and his play inevitably suffered.
Ellerbe also dealt with injuries and his 2014 season was spent on IR. As the team headed into the 2015 season, Ellerbe was no longer in their plans and some would say he never should have been. Ellerbe was a free agent choice of then GM Jeff Ireland and Ireland didn’t seem to concerned that Miami ran a defense that didn’t fit Ellerbe’s strengths. After Ireland was gone, the Dolphins moved on from Ellerbe.
Ellerbe was traded to the New Orleans Saints where Ireland had surfaced as a member of the teams personnel department. The trade brough young fast receiver Kenny Stills to Miami but the trade wasn’t a straight up deal. That’s what makes this trade, make this list. In order to get Stills the Dolphins needed to ship both Ellerbe and a 3rd round pick to the Saints. The problem was Miami needed every early pick they could get. Without the 3rd round selection, Miami was unable to address its biggest off-season needs.
Next: Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall
Number 4
Brandon Marshall the two timer
Brandon Marshall is one of the biggest trade busts in Miami Dolphins history. So much of a trade bust that he makes this list twice. On April 14th, 2010 the Miami Dolphins made a mega trade with the Denver Broncos for one of the leagues elite receivers. Miami sent Denver a 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft and another 2nd round pick in the 2011 draft. With Wallace now on board GM Jeff Ireland traded Ted Ginn, Jr. to the 49’ers for a 5th round pick.
Marshall represented Ireland’s first big move as the teams GM. Bill Parcells had handed personnel power over to Ireland and immediately Ireland made his impact. The Marshall trade paid off for the Dolphins as Marshall had consecutive seasons with over 1,000 yards receiving. Marshall made the pro-bowl in 2011 but that would be his final year with the Dolphins.
While Marshall was putting up solid numbers on the field in yardage, he wasn’t reaching the end zone near enough and he had no connection with quarterback Chad Henne. Adding more fuel to the fire was Marshall’s off-field issues with his wife and his unwillingness to practice during the off-season with his teammates. Marshall was becoming a problem in the locker room and a thorn in the Dolphins sides.
Two years after joining the Dolphins via trade, the Dolphins announced they had traded Marshall to Chicago for two 3rd round picks. One in 2012 and one in 2013. The 3rd round pick in 2012 would be traded and the Dolphins would move back about five spots where they would use that selection on tight-end Michael Egnew and the 2013 3rd rounder was traded for two 4th round picks. Those selections were used on Dion Sims and Jelani Jenkins.
Marshall never really fit into the Dolphins mold but that’s likely due to the fact Miami lacked direction.
Next: A.J. Feeley
Jul 25, 2014; Mankato, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman watches drills at training camp at Minnesota State University. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Number 3
A.J. Feeley for a 2nd – 2004
Dave Wannstedt wasn’t the only one making bad decisions in the early 2000’s. Wannstedt hand-picked Dan Marino’s successor in Jay Fiedler but the start of the 2004 season saw Miami strip Wannstedt of his personnel power. That burden now fell on Rick Spielman. Spielman immediately traded for a new quarterback that would force the hand of Wannstedt to move on from Fiedler. On March 3rd, Spielman traded the Dolphins 2nd round draft pick for back-up A.J. Feeley who had a decent season in 2003 coming off the bench.
To be fair, Feeley was viewed as an up and coming star in the NFL but the Dolphins were grasping at straws. The 2004 trade netted the Dolphins nothing. Fiedler would start the season but Feeley would come in to take over finishing the season with 11 starts. Feeley was just awful in his one season with the Dolphins and in October of 2005, one season after trading a 2nd round pick for the quarterback, Feeley was traded along with a 6th round pick in 2006 to the San Diego Chargers for Cleo Lemon.
Yes you read that right.
Feeley wouldn’t play in 2005 and in 2006 would be back in Philadelphia as the teams back-up quarterback. Cleo Lemon would spend two forgettable seasons in Miami.
Next: Daunte Culpepper
Number 2
Daunte Culpepper for a 2nd – 2006
After seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Daunte Culpepper arrived in South Florida via a trade that would send Minnesota and their new GM Rick Spielman a 2nd round pick. Nick Saban had taken over the Dolphins a year previously and was in desperate need of a franchise quarterback. The problem was he had two players to choose from. Free agent Drew Brees who had a shoulder injury or Culpepper in a trade with a knee injury.
Saban to this day says the Miami doctors told him there was far less risk with Culpepper so Saban turned his attention to the Vikings and sent them the pick. We all know what Brees did in New Orleans and continues to do but the Dolphins had a new quarterback on their roster. Culpepper would start the first four games of the season and lead the team to a miserable 1-3 record. He would then injury his knee and sit out the rest of the season.
Following the 2006 season Nick Saban would leave for Alabama and the Dolphins would hire Cam Cameron and appoint Randy Mueller to the position of general manager. The Dolphins under Mueller would release Culpepper who would return to Miami in 2007 as a member of the Oakland Raiders and lead the team to a win over the Dolphins.
The promotion of Mueller and the hiring of Cam Cameron would lead to one of the worst trades in Miami Dolphins history.
Next: Wes Welker
Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) is brought down by Miami Dolphins strong safety Jimmy Wilson (27) after making a catch during the second half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 39-36. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Number 1
Wes Welker traded to New England
On March 5th general manager Randy Mueller was offered a 2nd and 7th round pick in the 2007 draft for the Dolphins back-up slot receiver. Welker had played tough for the Dolphins after being acquired off waivers from San Diego in 2004. Welker appeared in 14 games his first season with the Dolphins and then all 16 the next two years. His most productive season came in 2006 when he caught 67 passes for 687 yards.
Miami turned that production into two draft picks. Samson Satele in round two and defensive end Abraham Wright in round seven. New England turned Welker into a perennial pro-bowler. Welker went from mostly a back-up in Miami to a full-time starter in New England.
Welker posted triple digit reception totals in five of his six seasons with the Patriots and easily eclipsed the 1,000 yard receiving plateau as well. Welker was a pivotal part of the Patriot offense for those six years and his rapport with Tom Brady helped the team reach two Super Bowls in six seasons. In the six seasons Welker was with the Patriots, the Patriots won the division all but one season, 2008 when Tom Brady was on IR.
Welker led the team in receiving five of the six seasons. What makes the trade one of the worst is not because Miami traded for him, they didn’t, it was because they traded a player to a division rival. That trade made New England one of the powerhouses in the AFC and while the Dolphins really haven’t done much to counter the Patriots in the last decade they helped the Patriots become what they are in part due to a trade.
Sadly, the Dolphins would not likely have known how to use Welker. After he left, the Dolphins employed, Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Matt Moore, and Ryan Tannehill.