The DeVante Parker Trade from Different Angles
DeVante Parker's up-and-down career with the Miami Dolphins ended Saturday when the team agreed to trade him to the New England Patriots in a deal involving draft picks.
Along with Parker, the Dolphins gave New England a 2022 fifth-round selection and in return got a 2023 draft pick.
The first issue to address is the compensation, which immediately strikes us as being very light for a wide receiver of Parker's caliber.
During his seven seasons with the Dolphins, Parker averaged 48 catches and 675 per season — solid, if unspectacular, numbers, and he had 24 total touchdowns, nine of which came in 2019.
While a third-round.pick is nice, considering the notion that a pick goes down one round in value for every year it's delayed, the third-rounder in 2023 is almost like a fourth-rounder this year.
So, essentially, the Dolphins moved up one round in exchange for Parker.
Of course, there are other factors involved, namely the Dolphins clearing cap space for a wide receiver who looked like a fourth option after the offseason acquisitions of Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. to join Jaylen Waddle.
Tack on the fact that Parker didn't play special teams — eight career snaps in that area of the game — and this absolutely has the look of a salary dump.
It's tough to argue against the logistics of trading Parker considering the role he was likely to play, but the Dolphins might wish they still had him if injuries sideline any of their top three options.
Evaluating Parker's time in Miami
If we're talking about injuries, we have to examine Parker and his durability issues with the Dolphins.
And, as is so often the case, with just about everything that's not perfect (think about the offensive line), those were overstated.
Yes, Parker often was battled soft-tissue injuries during his career, but the reality is he missed a total of 20 games during his seven years in Miami.
By comparison, newly signed tackle Terron Armstead missed 36 games over those same seven seasons.
As for the argument that Parker missed a lot of playing time in games in which he did play, his snap percentage on offense was over 78 for five of his seven seasons.
On the flip side, it's undeniable that Parker failed to live up to his billing as the 14th overall in 2015.
Yes, he flashed big-time ability at times, particularly when he made contested catches down the sideline, but he never was (except for the second half of the 2019 season) the dominant receiver that his physical traits suggested he could have been.
Trading within the AFC East
Ideally, teams don't trade within their division because of the risk of helping out their trade partner, and the Patriots conceivably got a big boost for their less-than-overwhelming wide receiver corps with this trade.
The move suggests the Dolphins didn't get an offer of equal or similar value from another team and therefore decided to make the trade with New England.
Of course, one could suggest that the Dolphins don't think Parker will make much of an impact in New England.
"It takes a little arrogance to do so," former Eagles president Joe Banner wrote on the 33rd team website. "Don’t make a trade unless you believe you are winning it. If you are winning a trade and do it in the division, not only are you gaining value, but you are weakening a primary opponent as well.”
The worst-case scenario for the Dolphins is that Parker does for New England was Wes Welker did after Miami traded him to New England in 2007, but the circumstances are totally different, starting with the fact that Parker won't be catching passes from Tom Brady.
A more appropriate comparison actually involved a trade the other way, the Dolphins acquiring Irving Fryar from the Patriots in 1993 for two draft picks.
Fryar had been a bit of a disappointment in New England after being the first overall pick in the 1984 draft, but he was highly productive for the Dolphins for three seasons before leaving as a free agent in 1996.
If that's what happens with Parker in New England, it will make a questionable trade even more questionable because the Dolphins didn't really get better with this move but potentially helped the Patriots.
