Miami Dolphins worst trade with the New England Patriots

There is one trade between the Miami Dolphins and Patriots that is the worst.

The Miami Dolphins have made some bad trades but one trade with the Patriots stands out as especially bad despite the fact it was good for Miami.

Throughout history and even life for that matter, everything is 20/20 when it is in hindsight. Such is the case for the trade that sent wide-receiver Wes Welker to the Patriots in 2007. It is a trade that still burns many fans and the fact that Welker went on to cement his career in the NFL as one of the top Patriots receivers only makes it worse.

Welker joined the Miami Dolphins in 2004 when Dave Wannstedt and Rick Speilman added him to their roster after being waived by the Chargers. Then head coach Marty Schottenheimer said it was one of his “biggest mistakes”.

Welker would play special teams with Miami primarily but as a receiver he showed signs of what he was capable of doing from the slot. Under Nick Saban, Welker began to see far more action on offense. He was targeted 52 times in 2005 and 100 times in 2006. It was a sign of what was to come for Welker.

Wes Welker suffered from the hiring of Cam Cameron.

In 2007 the Dolphins under Randy Mueller and Cam Cameron traded Welker to the Patriots for a 2nd and 7th round draft pick. The 2nd round pick was used on center Samson Satele who would have an average at best NFL career and only a couple of years as a member of the Dolphins.

In New England, Welker would go to have five consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl. In his six seasons with the Patriots, he would catch 903 passes for 9,924 yards and 50 touchdowns.

To say the least, the duo of Cameron and Mueller never really worked out for Miami. On paper, the trade looked good at the time. A slot receiver who was hardly used for a 2nd round pick. Needless to say, Bill Belichick saw in Welker what Nick Saban did.