The Miami Dolphins were one of several teams expected to be busy at the trade deadline. With just a 2-7 record, the Dolphins appeared to be a seller ahead of the deadline, and it seemed like a full-on fire sale could be in the cards after Jaelan Phillips was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. As it turns out, that was the only move the team would make before the deadline.
It wasn’t due to a lack of suitors, though, as there were a handful of players on the Dolphins’ roster who generated interest on the trade market. One of them was star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, whom the front office was hoping to get a first-round pick for. And while one team made a strong offer for Waddle, Miami’s front office ended up turning it down for one big reason.
Dolphins Refused to Trade Jaylen Waddle to the Bills
With the Dolphins laboring through a horrific 2025 campaign, it appears as if a rebuild is in their future. And yet, they still have several solid players on their roster who were of interest to teams across the league. Waddle was one of those players, thanks in large part to his ability to put up big numbers, despite dealing with the team’s unsettled quarterback situation.
The team that made the most serious push for Waddle was the Buffalo Bills, as they were looking for another playmaker to come in and help bolster their passing game. While the asking price for Waddle was high, the Bills’ front office was reportedly OK with making the sort of offer that the Dolphins’ front office was looking for.
When the deadline slammed shut, though, Waddle had ended up staying put, despite Buffalo’s best efforts. According to a recent report, there was a big reason why Miami didn’t trade Waddle, and that was because it didn’t want to help one of its top division rivals in its quest to win the AFC East division for the sixth-straight year.
“The Bills were the high bidder for Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle and also tried to acquire then-Jets DL Quinnen Williams before Tuesday’s trade deadline, per sources,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “In both cases, their AFC East rivals ultimately gave Buffalo no help in its push for a 6th straight division title.”
Should the Dolphins Have Traded Jaylen Waddle?
GettyJaylen Waddle #17 of the Miami Dolphins.
In a perfect world, the Dolphins would have received the sort of trade offer they were looking for in exchange for Waddle from a team that didn’t play in the same division as them. Making trades within the division is always a complex subject in the NFL, because even if you get some solid draft capital, you still have to worry about squaring off against the guy you just gave up on.
In this case, though, Miami isn’t on the same level as Buffalo currently, and while that could change in the future, it had to be taken into account in these discussions. Waddle is under team control through 2027, so there isn’t an immediate risk of losing him, but it’s fair to wonder whether acquiring a haul of draft picks would have been more beneficial. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter now, as Waddle will look to try to help his team get back in the win column in Week 10.
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