Will Miami try and trade DeVante Parker this off-season?
This time of the year the rumor mill can get a bit crazy. For Miami, there’s a very interesting one roaming about how they are considering swapping DeVante Parker for Martavis Bryant.
The Miami Dolphins made headlines last night with the announcement that the team was planning to franchise tag their star wide receiver Jarvis Landry. The Dolphins made it official this morning. By being tagged, Landry is set to make $16 million for the 2018 season. Contrary to popular belief, however, this doesn’t exactly mean we know yet what the Dolphins have in store for Landry.
After tagging Landry, there are a multitude of things Miami could do from here. The first is simply let him play out this year under that hefty price tag. Another option provided by tagging Landry is it gives the team more time to work out a long-term deal without having to worry about other teams getting involved. The third option would be to find a suitable trade partner. The latter option has picked up some steam this afternoon, but how much would other teams be willing to give for Landry’s services? Can that team get him to agree to a long-term deal if they do? Miami’s asking price would have to be a 2nd rounder at minimum. It’s hard to believe any team would be willing to give that up without a long-term commitment from Landry.
While today the rumors picked up about the possibility of Landry being traded, it was another Dolphins receiver that was being talked about last night possibly being put on the trade block. Shortly after it was announced that Miami would tag Landry, it put speculation that former first round pick DeVante Parker could be shipped out of town. One rumor had even put out that the Dolphins and Steelers had talked about a possible Parker for Martavis Bryant swap.
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How serious either side is about a potential trade remains unknown, but the idea is an interesting one. Both players have in common trouble with staying on the field albeit for very different reasons. Parker has been injury prone dating back to his days in college, and Bryant has been suspended numerous times for drug-related violations. I’m not sure if bringing Bryant to a city like Miami is a wise decision, but both players could probably benefit from a change of scenery.
Bryant stayed out of trouble last season, but he was quickly overshadowed by Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. Parker has been a disappointment for the Dolphins since they took him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Kenny Stills outshined Parker for the second consecutive season in 2017, and Jakeem Grant made great strides as well.
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I’m not sure if Miami is willing to take on the risk of a guy like Bryant, but he is an upgrade over Parker with all things considered. I do think that the Dolphins will move on from Parker in some fashion this off-season. Drafting Parker at the time seemed like a great addition, but he just hasn’t panned out the way the team has hoped, and the injuries have derailed his progress. It’s probably best for both parties to move on from this point.
Of course everything depends on what the Dolphins actually do with Landry. Now that they’ve tagged him, I’m not buying into the idea that they plan to trade him until I see it for myself. If it does then Parker’s not going anywhere. But with Grant stepping into his own, and the Dolphins getting Isaiah Ford back after spending the year on IR, I think we’ve seen Parker’s last days in Miami.