Miami Dolphins fans have endured season after season of Jaelan Phillips' heartache. 2023 ended with an Achilles injury, and 2024 ended with an ACL injury. Just when he was healthy and back on the field, the Dolphins traded him to the Eagles.
Watching the former Miami Hurricane play in the aqua and orange was a dream for fans; watching him get hurt felt like a bad dream. No one seemed to mind when he landed with the Eagles. It made sense. He and Eagles' DC Vic Fangio were good together. If the Dolphins needed to move on, outside of the AFC was the way to go.
Phillips is close to becoming a free agent this offseason. The Eagles reportedly want to re-sign him, but if he hits the market, ESPN predicts he could join the Dolphins' rivals, the New England Patriots.
ESPN predicts Miami Dolphins will face Jaelan Phillips twice a year as a Patriot
It's hard to swallow, but older fans have been down this road before. Bryan Cox left Miami and eventually joined the Jets and then played for the Patriots. Phillips to New England would be tough, but even if he landed there, it wouldn't necessarily sting as much as Jason Taylor joining the Jets.
Dolphins fans want good things for Phillips. He gave everything to the Dolphins on and off the field. A fantastic player who took time out of his rehabilitation to mingle with the fanbase. He made them a priority as they did him. But New England? No Dolphins fan can realistically root for his success unless he is playing the Bills or Jets.
No one will wish injury on him, but if he tweaks an ankle and misses the games against Miami, we would be fine with that.
Hopefully, Phillips opts to take the higher road like Zach Thomas. Thomas famously declined to join the Bill Belichick-led Patriots because of his time with the Dolphins. He joined the Cowboys instead. Maybe someone will step up and offer more money to Phillips, and he will chase that instead.
The Patriots have a lot of money to spend this offseason and are coming off yet another Super Bowl appearance. It might be hard to turn that down, but Phillips should also consider that the Patriots played the easiest schedule in the NFL last year and cake-walked through the myriad of playoff injuries; he won't, but Dolphins fans can hope.