Dolphins 'highly unlikely' to trade Jaylen Waddle, source says

The Dolphins are willing to listen to offers on any of their players ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, but it is -- in the words of one well-placed source -- "highly unlikely" that Miami will trade wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins are expected to trade away at least one of their pass rushers, according to league sources, but a trade involving Waddle would be exceedingly difficult to pull off for a variety of factors.

For starters, the Dolphins are expected to ask for -- in the words of a source -- "a 1-plus" in any potential trade for Waddle, meaning they believe they would have to receive a first-round draft pick plus other compensation.

Even though Waddle might be the wide receiver who has drawn the most interest around the league ahead of the deadline, sources do not expect that a team will be willing to part with a first-round pick along with other compensation -- as attractive as Waddle is to multiple teams.

Could the Dolphins decrease their demands in the next 48 hours? Anything always is possible in the NFL.

But not only might Waddle be the Dolphins' best player, he also is playing on a contract that is scheduled to pay him about $40 million in 2026 and 2027 -- a strong value for the prices being paid these days for some of the league's top wideouts.

The 26-year-old Waddle, a former first-round draft pick, has 41 catches for 586 yards and four touchdowns this season.

League sources believe, however, that there is a strong chance -- likely even -- that the Dolphins will trade at least one of their pass rushers before the 4 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday.

Teams looking for pass rush help have their eye on Miami's trio of Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Matthew Judon. The Dolphins got multiple calls on all three players before general manager Chris Grier's exit Friday, and sources expect those calls to intensify before the deadline.

When asked after Thursday's loss to the Ravens, Chubb said decisions on trades are out of his control. Phillips said his preference was to stay with Miami -- where he played his final season of college football and was drafted in the first round in 2021.

The Dolphins (2-7) and Grier parted ways Friday in what was described as a mutual decision. Champ Kelly will be Miami's interim GM for the rest of the season. Sources told ESPN that embattled head coach Mike McDaniel will keep his position through at least the regular season.

McDaniel referred to trade rumors about Dolphins players as "baseless" two weeks ago, but he took a slightly more realistic tone Friday morning.

"I know those conversations when your record is as such -- this is standard, this is how the business works," he said. "So those conversations will be had. They're very layered but always have the best interest in the organization in mind. I participate in those conversations when called upon. I know those will occur over the next coming days.

"But my main focus is coaching the players, and part of coaching players is having them understand that it's not personal."

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