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The Miami Dolphins were viewed as clear sellers at the 2025 NFL trade deadline. With their brutal Thursday Night Football loss to the Baltimore Ravens and the firing of general manager Chris Grier, a sell-off was viewed as possible.
Jaelan Phillips was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick, but as the deadline passed, that move was their only trade of the season.
Mike McDaniel, in a piece from Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN, revealed the reason why the Dolphins wound up keeping most of their players through the trade deadline.
Mike McDaniel reveals why the Dolphins didn't make more trades by the NFL deadline
"All deals are not close to me until they're done," McDaniel said. "So I have a weird way of looking at it. But yeah, there wasn't anything that moved the needle for us to change our roster beyond what we've done."
Miami's lone trade shipped off a former first-round pick in Phillips to a contender for a third-round pick. It was a solid deal for the Dolphins, and a few other players on the roster were also drawing interest.
While Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick, along with Jordyn Brooks and Jaylen Wright, were names to watch, the big-ticket option mentioned frequently in trade talks was wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Miami received plenty of interest in Waddle, but their asking price, of at least a first-round pick, was too much for any team to part with for the star receiver.
More: What did the Dolphins get in return for Jaelan Phillips? Full trade details on deal with Eagles
Whether it was Waddle or any other player, the Dolphins' front office didn't get any offers worth considering at the NFL trade deadline.
Instead, interim general manager Champ Kelly dealt one player, keeping the bulk of their roster together through the NFL deadline.
The Dolphins didn't make any major moves by the trade deadline, but adding the third-rounder from the Eagles was a nice pickup. Miami will look to hire a new general manager, handing over the keys to a franchise in dire need of a retooling.
That new GM will have an extra third-rounder from the Philips trade, but they could've had a lot more to work with if Waddle or some of the other veterans were traded.
Miami's lackluster deadline only saw one player get moved, and McDaniel revealed that the offers they received never moved the needle. The Dolphins held most of their players, as they look to close out the 2025 season on a higher note than their 2-7 start.
More Dolphins News:
- Dolphins' Mike McDaniel to remain as head coach for rest of 2025 despite Chris Grier's firing
- Did Minkah Fitzpatrick get traded? Explaining Dolphins' trade deadline decision
- Did Jaylen Waddle get traded? Explaining Dolphins' NFL deadline decision
- Dolphins receive B- grade for first trade before NFL deadline
- Miami Dolphins' updated list of 2026 NFL draft picks after Jaelan Phillips trade
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