Jaelan Phillips did the usual message posting thanking the Miami Dolphins and their fans after he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. If there was ever any doubt about his remarks about wanting to stay in Miami, he just proved it was a lie.
Before being dealt, the rumors of his inevitable trade were a hot-button topic among fans and the media. Phillips was asked about being traded and said he wanted to stay with the Dolphins.
It's a different tune now.
"I thought I was excited day one. This is the greatest thing that has happened to me in my whole life," Phillips said about getting traded to the Eagles.
Jaelan Phillips' comments about trade to Eagles are an insult to the Dolphins
To be clear, Phillips isn't dissing the Dolphins directly. His slap is more on the back of their head than across the face. A slap that says more of, "Thank you for trading me to a team that actually knows how to win!"
Phillips isn't going to come out and say, "Yeah, I wish I had stayed in Miami," but he could slow down the "greatest thing in my life" and the "no place I would rather be than right here," stuff.
The former Dolphins linebacker has worked with Vic Fangio before and holds him in high regard. The feeling seems to be mutual, as it was Fangio who reportedly gave a thumbs-up to the deal.
Dolphins fans are not too upset, and they shouldn't be. Phillips hasn't said anything directed toward them. He has been a pillar in the South Florida community, and it isn't likely to change any time soon, but it will slow down with him now in Philadelphia.
Miami had no choice but to trade him. The risk of a new contract versus his injury history was too much for the Dolphins to take on, given the uncertain future of the franchise right now.