There has been no shortage of speculation about the Miami Dolphins possibly trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Then, Waddle fanned the flames of that speculation with a recent social media post that led many to wonder if he was on his way out of Miami, or at least wanted out.
With all of this going on, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed that the Dolphins are not planning on trading Waddle, even as they get calls from other teams.
Rapoport did list players who could be traded out of South Beach, and that group includes edge rushers Matt Judon, Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
"Several teams have called the Dolphins about star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and sources say those teams have been told Miami has no interest in trading him," Rapoport wrote. "Similar to Simmons for Tennessee, dealing Waddle would signal a look to the future rather than trying to win now. While things can change, it seems far more likely Miami would be willing to deal an edge rusher (perhaps Matt Judon, Bradley Chubb or even Jaelan Phillips)."
While the down-in-the-dumps Dolphins should blow it up and rebuild, Waddle is one of the few pieces Miami probably shouldn't trade off.
After all, he's still just 26 years old, so Waddle is young enough to be in Miami's long-term plans. Also, the Dolphins will have no quality receivers left if they trade Waddle, as Tyreek Hill is out for the season and might have played his last game in Miami.
And, if the Dolphins ditch Tua Tagovailoa in 2026 and draft a quarterback, they'll at least have a good receiver in-house to catch passes from the young signal-caller.
Judon and Phillips are both slated to be free agents next year, so they're logical trade candidates. But, like Waddle, Phillips is young enough to be a long-term solution as the Dolphins rebuild their defense, so they may want to keep him.
Chubb is under contract through 2027, but he also turns 30 next year and has been plagued by injuries during his career. With four sacks through six games, Chubb's value may never be higher than it is now, so Miami should strike while the iron is hot.
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