While NFL teams are no longer allowed to do “fire sales” when they’re facing a lost season, they can still make moves that seem counter to winning football games, but only if they’re done in a strategic way.
If the first week of the 2025 regular season is any indication, the Miami Dolphins could very well be headed toward striking some pretty “strategic” deals in the near future as they try to dismantle then rebuild a roster that’s bottomed out.
One of the players that could very well be on the trading block is fifth year edge rusher and former first round pick Jaelan Phillips — a talented player who has seen his career derailed due to injuries but could still help a contender.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could add Phillips to their defense in exchange for a 2026 fourth round pick, although it’s not out of the realm of possibility the Dolphins might bite on a 2026 fifth round pick.
If it’s a fourth round pick, the Buccaneers might be smart to get the Dolphins to pick up part of the tab on the $13.259 million Phillips is owed in 2025.
The Dolphins picked up the fifth year extension on the 4-year, $14 million rookie contract Phillips signed in 2021 — money that will bring his career earnings to approximately $27.2 million following this season.
“Playoff hopefuls are often in the market for edge-rushers, and the Miami Dolphins might have one to spare between now and the trade deadline,” Knox wrote on September 10. ” … Moving Phillips would be logical if the Dolphins don’t turn things around quickly. Though season-ending injuries have impacted each of the last two seasons, the 26-year-old had 22 sacks over the first three years of his career. Finally healthy again, he could likely net Miami a high Day 3 pick at a minimum.”
From Medical Retirement To First Round Pick
Phillips, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, only played in 11 games over his first 2 college seasons at UCLA due to injuries and medically retired from football in December 2018 after a moped accident.
He wouldn’t return to the field for 2 years, eventually playing a dominant final season for the University of Miami in 2020 where he earned All-American and All-ACC honors with 45 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 16 TFL, 3 pass deflections and one interception in 10 games.
After running the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at Pro Day, the Dolphins took him in the first round (No. 18 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft.
Through his first 2 NFL seasons, Phillips was one of the NFL’s dominant young pass rushers, playing in all 34 regular season games with 103 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 17 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries and an incredible 41 QB hits.
Injuries Cost Phillips Tens Of Millions
Phillips looked like he was on the verge of a true ascension to one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers in 2023 with 6.5 sacks through the first 8 games before he tore his Achilles tendon. He returned in Week 4 of the 2024 season against the Tennessee Titans but tore his ACL in his first game back.
While it’s safe to assume Phillips is a different player after 2 career changing injuries and missing 25 games over the last 2 years, having him in a rotation with Buccaneers edge rushers YaYa Diaby and Haason Reddick could be the type of potent mix that elevates the defense from middle of the pack to elite.
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