NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Whenever a complete teardown is in order, everyone assumes that every skilled player becomes available for trade. Everyone assumes this was the case with the Miami Dolphins when former GM Chris Grier was fired, and HC Mike McDaniel soon followed. Jon-Eric Sullivan took over as GM and quickly began fixing the “mistakes” of the previous regime. He offloaded a bunch of heavy contracts and began the rebuilding process. Fans were actively campaigning for this for years, and now here they are.
The quickest way to a rebuild is through draft picks and young talent to mold to a new regime. Typically, a new GM will either build around the core players that are already there or fire sale and stockpile as many picks as possible. “Sully” appeared to be doing the latter when the team traded fan favorite WR Jaylen Waddle. It was only a matter of time before people connected the dots and assumed RB De’Von Achane was on the move, as Miami could likely get multiple picks for him.
Yet, the Dolphins are allegedly working towards a new deal with Achane, but why?
Why would the Miami Dolphins move on from their top young WR and keep their RB when they need to rebuild? It’s simple, really. The two biggest factors are age and contract. Jaylen Waddle is in his prime right now, but Miami already extended his contract and gave him a deserved pay raise. The team is no stranger to spending, but zoom out for a bit.
A typical rebuild takes two, if not three, years to execute. In that time frame, Waddle will be on the backside of his current deal. By the end of it, he’ll be at the tipping point of his career, approaching the age of 30. While that’s no longer a death sentence in today’s NFL, he’d likely only have one multi-year deal left with Miami that goes beyond 2 years. Players are playing into their mid-to-late 30s these days, but that’s when skills start to decline. Miami wouldn’t be getting a multi-year run of competitiveness. They’d just be scratching the surface of competition in Waddle’s new deal.
How is Achane different?
There’s a good reason De’Von Achane isn’t on the trade block, and it’s because the Dolphins have no immediate need to move him. Yes, they could stockpile picks, but they currently have a draft’s worth of picks (7) in the top 100 players, and then 4 more after that. On top of undrafted free agents, they already have an embarrassment of riches. At some point, they reach the point of diminishing returns.
So what’s the dealbreaker? The Dolphins have Achane on a rookie deal. Break that down for a second, the Miami Dolphins have a top 5 running back on a rookie deal, at the (current) age of 24. Even if they take the standard 2-3 year rebuild, he’d be just turning 26 or 27-years old. He’ll be at the age Waddle is now when the Dolphins are consistently competing, should they turn the team around. Miami could still get a good 3-5 year contract out of him in their competitive years. And he’d just be passing that 30-year mark where skills start to decline.
This isn’t about skill, talent, or playing favorites. From an organizational standpoint, you never want to lose a fan-favorite such as Jaylen Waddle. He’s been a spark for the Miami Dolphins. From a business standpoint, however, it makes sense that the team would want to move on. They owe it to the player not to waste his best years. Even if the Dolphins can turn it around sooner rather than later, it’s not guaranteed. De’Von Achane can be in Miami through a rebuild and still be a player the team can build around when it’s done.
