Is Hill Trade the Biggest the Dolphins Have Ever Made?
In terms of volume, the deal to acquire wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City ranks as the biggest trade the Miami Dolphins have ever made for one player.
The Dolphins sent five draft picks — in the first, second and fourth rounds in 2022, and in the fourth and sixth rounds in 2023 — to get the six-time Pro Bowl selection.
It was the 11th time in franchise history the team had dealt multiple draft picks to acquire a player in a trade, and precedent suggest the Dolphins will get good production from Hill while he's in a Miami uniform.
Here's a quick recap:
1966 — Dolphins acquire RB Cookie Gilchrist from Denver for third- and fifth-round picks
Gilchrist was a very good veteran running back when he joined the expansion Dolphins in November of their inaugural season, but in a weird twist they turned around and traded him back to the Broncos in June 1967 as part of a seven-player deal.
1978 — Dolphins acquire RB Delvin Williams from San Francisco for first- and fifth-round picks, along with WR Freddie Solomon and CB Vern Roberson
Williams made an immediate impact for the Dolphins, setting a franchise record with 1,258 rushing yards in 1978, though injuries slowed him after and he never was able to duplicate that success. The 1,000-yard season remained as the only one for a Miami running back until 1996 when Karim Abdul-Jabbar reached the milestone as a rookie.
1981 — Dolphins acquire LB Bob Brudzinski (along with a second-round pick) from the L.A. Rams for two second-round picks and a third-round pick
While he never made the Pro Bowl for the defense, Brudzinski started for seven years and was an instrumental part of the Killer B's defense that helped the Dolphins reach the Super Bowl in the 1982 and 1984 seasons.
1985 — Dolphins acquire LB Hugh Green from Tampa Bay for first- and second-round picks
After being one of the greatest college defensive players ever and a one-time Pro Bowl selection for the Bucs, Green never really was dominant for the Dolphins as he was slowed by injuries upon his arrival. He started every game from 1989-91, but never made the Pro Bowl with Miami.
1990 — Dolphins acquire CB Tim McKyer from San Francisco for second- and 11th-round picks
McKyer was very, very good in his first season with the Dolphins, and arguably should have made the Pro Bowl while helping Miami finish with a 12-4 record, but Coach Don Shula wasn't a fan of his brash personality and McKyer was traded the next offseason for third- and 12th-round picks.
1993 — The Dolphins acquire WR Irving Fryar from New England for second- and third-round picks
After a rare intra-division trade, Fryar delivered for the Dolphins, producing 1,000-yard seasons and making the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. After another good year in 1995, the Dolphins allowed him to leave via free agency in 1996.
1995 — Dolphins acquire DE Trace Armstrong from Chicago for second- and third-round picks
Armstrong played six seasons for Miami, reached double digits in sacks three times and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his final season with the Dolphins in 2000.
2002 — Dolphins acquire RB Ricky Williams (along with a fourth-round pick) from New Orleans for two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick
This one is a bit complicated because Williams had arguably the second-best individual season in Dolphins history in 2002 (behind only Dan Marino's 1984 effort), had a 1,300-yard performance in 2003, but then started having the suspension issues.
2010 — Dolphins acquire WR Brandon Marshall from Denver for two second-round picks
Marshall was an immensely talented NFL receiver but also difficult to deal with, which explains why someone of his caliber ended up playing for six teams in 13 seasons. Marshal reached 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons with Miami and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2011, but the team still shipped him out after two years for the price of two third-round picks.
2019 — Dolphins acquire QB Josh Rosen from Arizona for second- and fifth-round picks
Yeah, we probably don't need to dwell on this one other than to say the Dolphins took a shot on a QB who had been the 10th overall pick just the year before and it didn't pan out.
