The Miami Dolphins are trading wide receiver DeVante Parker to the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports.
The move sends Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick to AFC East rival New England in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick, ESPN reported.
Parker is now arguably the most talented player in a Patriots receiving room that includes Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers. He has the potential to be the top option for second-year quarterback Mac Jones, who took to social media on Saturday to speak out about his new teammate.
DeVante Parker of the Miami Dolphins signals during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Jan. 2, 2022, in Nashville.
(Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
“Let’s go!! Welcome to NEP! @DeVanteParker11,” Jones wrote on Twitter.
“Let’s get it big dawg. LFG!!!” Parker replied.
Bourne also gave Parker a warm welcome on social media, writing, “Yea we finna dominate!!! @DeVanteParker11 super bowl run @MacJones_10.”
Parker, 29, has spent his career in Miami after the team selected him in the first round out of Louisville in the 2015 NFL Draft. His 4,727 receiving yards rank sixth in franchise history.
However, injuries have hurt his production over the years and Parker has only played a full season once, in 2019. That season saw him notch career highs with 72 receptions, 1,202 yards, and nine touchdowns.
ROBERT KRAFT SAYS IT BOTHERS HIM THAT THE PATRIOTS HAVEN’T WON A PLAYOFF GAME IN THREE YEARS
But since then, he has started just 19 games for Miami and totaled just 515 receiving yards last season.
Parker appeared to be the odd man out with the Dolphins and new coach Mike McDaniel. The team already has first round draft pick Jaylen Waddle, along with Cedrick Wilson and newly acquired wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill reacts after an NFL football game against the Eagles on Oct. 3, 2021, in Philadelphia.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said at the NFL owners’ meeting this week that he expected Parker to remain on Miami’s roster, despite receiving calls regarding the wide receiver.
DeVante Parker of the Dolphins celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 19, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
“We feel really good about that receiver room,” Grier told reporters. “The expectation is he’ll be here, but we always listen. I’ve always said here, and the guys that know me, we’ll always listen for all players on the roster.”
Parker was the longest-tenured player on the Dolphins. The team has four picks in this month’s draft.
The Patriots hope the move can help the team get its first playoff win since 2019. This week, owner Robert Kraft said he was bothered that the team wasn’t able to have success in the postseason the last three years.
“I think we had a period of two decades that were unbelievable,” Kraft said. “After my family, there’s nothing more important to me than the New England Patriots and winning football games. That’s my passion, so whatever I can do, hopefully in a small way to make that happen, I’m there. I’m not happy that we haven’t won a playoff game in three years. So I think about that a lot.”
Source: Fox News
