The Miami Dolphins reportedly received trade calls for wide receiver DeVante Parker ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Despite that, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported that the team wanted to keep Parker on the roster.
Though Dolphins reportedly got calls on Parker, they wanted to keep him. There was no attempt to purge veterans for draft picks. Dolphins believe their roster was built to win now, even though they haven't to this point this season. https://t.co/2DKWiprm7k
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) November 2, 2021
Parker was a first-round pick back in the 2015 NFL Draft.
The talented wideout had looked to have turned a corner in his career during the 2019 season, but he hasn’t found the same success since.
In 2019, Parker finished with a career-high 72 catches for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns.
He looked to be a cornerstone of Miami’s offense going forward, but the team has struggled in the 2021 season.
Parker had injury issues in the 2020 season that limited him to just 14 games, but he still finished with 103 targets, 63 catches, 793 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
With Tua Tagovailoa becoming the team’s undisputed starting quarterback in the 2021 season, Miami had high hopes for a receiving trio of Parker, Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller.
However, the Dolphins are just 1-7 this season after a 10-6 finish in 2020, and Fuller has been out for most of the season due to injury.
Parker hasn’t put up the numbers one would expect either, as he’s caught 25 passes for 327 yards through five appearances in 2021.
Miami’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread at this point in the season, but the Dolphins are betting on Parker and Tagovailoa establishing a connection to help the team this season and beyond.
It’s possible that Miami didn’t receive any offers that it deemed worthy of moving Parker, but the fact that the team is sticking with the 28-year-old in what may be a lost season bodes well for his future with the franchise.
