The Miami Dolphins are facing some monumental decisions this offseason. 

The team must first decide what to do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Led by coach Mike McDaniel and Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ offense generated the most total yards in the the NFL last season. Tagovailoa is in the final year of his rookie deal and would be a free agent after the 2024-25 season if he and the team do not agree to a long-term extension. 

While Tagovailoa rolled through most opponents during the regular season, he was crushed by the Ravens in Baltimore late in the regular season. He and the Dolphins turned into Frozen Fish against the Chiefs in the wild-card round at Kansas City. 

The Dolphins have given Tua two of the best targets in football in wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. 

Tyreek Hill Goes To Bat For Waddle

But it’s the immediate future of Waddle that has generated the most attention from Dolphins fans. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum suggested on ESPN that the Dolphins could deal Waddle to the Chiefs and get cornerback Trent McDuffie in return. That statement and the supportive reaction of some Dolphins fans to it rattled Hill so much that the mercurial wideout interrupted his vacation in Greece to put them on blast. 

Hill took to X (formerly Twitter) and fired off three posts in defense of his teammate, all the while letting management know his thoughts:

• “I’m all the way in Greece right now and I get on Twitter to see people talking crazy about dolphin football,” 
• “My boy waddle is the future , he is better than I was at this point in his career and for people in this fan base to want to trade him is ludicrous."
• “Him and Tua was special before me and will be special after I leave (with a teary emoji)"

Jaylen Waddle 2024 Team If Traded Odds

Here’s a look at which teams would be in the best position to deal for Waddle and the odds of where he would go if the Dolphins opted for a trade. 

Bookies.com oddsmaker Adam Thompson has used his resources of NFL contacts developed over 20 years covering the league to update his hypothetical NFL futures odds on Waddle’s 2024 team if the Dolphins were to trade him. 

(Odds are for entertainment purposes only and do not reflect odds that may be available on legal betting apps.)

Waddle would be a coveted commodity on the trade market. He caught 72 passes for 1,014 yards this past season in 14 games and scored 4 TDs. Opposing defenses often covered the Dolphins with a soft zone, leaving two safeties deep to prevent big strikes. That wasn’t always successful, of course. The Dolphins held the best record in the AFC at 9-3 before struggling down the stretch late.

Depending on the eventual destination, Waddle could well find himself in a top-of-the-depth-chart role. 

Favorites To Deal For Jaylen Waddle

The Dolphins have six picks in the 2024 draft, but none between the second and fifth rounds. Waddle could likely fetch at least a mid-to-low second-round pick in return, if not a third-rounder, or a pair of later round picks. 

The Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls since Hill left KC for Miami. But Patrick Mahomes used multiple targets this season and never really settled on anyone besides Travis Kelce as his No. 1 pass-catcher. A straight-up deal for McDuffie would be too good to pass up.  

The Giants were flat-out terrible on offense last season. They finished 29^th in total yards and 30^th in points. The team used three different starting QBs: Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito and Tyrod Taylor. Each started at least five games. None of them got the job done. 

The Giants hold the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft but may trade up to No. 3 if the Patriots opt to sign or trade for a veteran QB. The Giants have 2 second-round picks. Those will be used in any deal to move up in the draft for the No. 3 pick, in addition to another second or third-round pick next year. But Big Blue might well deal their third rounder to bring in a reliable target for their would-be rookie QB in Waddle. 

Saquon Barkley is likely headed toward free-agency, unless the Giants choose to tag him. His ultimate fate would also impact any potential deal for Waddle in the Big Apple.

The Carolina Panthers finished last in the NFL this past season in both total yards and total points. The Panthers averaged an anemic 13.9 points per game and just 265.3 yards of total offense. Any skill-player addition on offense would be a major boost for second-year QB Bryce Young. 

Because of the trade that allowed Carolina to take Young with the first pick in 2023, the Panthers won’t pick until Round 2 this year, No. 33 overall. That’s too steep a price to pay for Waddle. But they could package their third-round pick with a fifth or sixth-round pick. 

The Cardinals have the No. 4 pick in the 2024 Draft. That selection all-but-certain to be WR Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State. The 6-4 Harrison is a top-tier, NFL-ready receiver. With the Cardinals likely to lose Marquise Brown in free agency, they’ll still need another coveted target for QB Kyler Murray at the wideout/slot position. Waddle could be a fall-back position If the team is unable or unwilling to deal for the likes of Brandon Aiyuk. 

The Cardinals have the most draft capital to deal of any team on this list, including a pair of first-rounders, a second-rounder, three third-rounders, one fourth-round pick, and two more in the fifth round. So they could swing a deal for Waddle if the desire is there.

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