Closing the Miami Dolphins Book on the Parker Chapter
The DeVante Parker chapter officially ended for the Miami Dolphins when they announced the trade of the wide receiver to the New England Patriots.
As had been reported previously, the trade involved Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick going to the Patriots for a 2023 third-round selection.
Reports have suggested there were other teams interested in Parker’s services, such as Atlanta, Green Bay, Houston and Dallas.
Before we close the book on that chapter of Dolphins history, let’s wrap up the final developments.
A Classy Send-Off
Before the trade became official, Parker made it a point to thank via Instagram his former teammates, the fans and the media, along with members of the front office.
The Dolphins made sure to say goodbye in style Tuesday with a couple of social media posts thanking Parker for his contributions during his seven seasons with the team.
One of those days was an all-caps statement from GM Chris Grier.
“From the day we drafted DeVante and he became a Miami Dolphin, he has epitomized everything we desire in a player — excellent on the field, a great teammate and a model citizen in the community. We are thankful for everything he has given this organization over the past 7 seasons and wish him continued success. He will always been an important piece of our franchise history.”
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Then there was a thank you post from the team that included Parker’s place in franchise history when it comes to receptions and receiving yards.
Parker’s Place in Dolphins History
Yes, DeVante Parker was a productive player for the Dolphins regardless of how many shots he’s taken from fans for the numerous injuries that kept him out of games or limited him.
Along with ranking sixth in franchise history in career receiving yards with 4,727 and eighth in receptions with 338, Parker stands seventh among wide receivers with 93 games played (not counting Jim Jensen, who often was listed as a WR but also played fullback, tight end and even quarterback).
Furthermore, the only wide receiver to play more games for the Dolphins in the 2000s than Parker was 2001 second-round pick Chris Chambers with 100.
When it comes to any Dolphins draft pick since 2000, Parker is tied with Mike Pouncey and Walt Aikens for seventh-most games played for Miami — Reshad Jones and Brandon Fields are tied for the lead with 128.
History Lesson with No. 1 Pick Getting Traded
Parker became the ninth Dolphins first-round pick to leave the team via trade, and remarkably five of those trade have come in the past three years.
It started with QB Ryan Tannehill being traded to Tennessee in March 2019 before tackle Laremy Tunsil was sent to Houston before the start of the regular season that year and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was dealt to Pittsburgh after Week 2.
Then in the spring of 2020, the Dolphins traded edge defender Charles Harris for a seventh-round pick three years after they had made him the 22nd overall pick in the draft.
The first four times the Dolphins traded one of their former first-round picks was in 1992 when they sent Sammie Smith to Denver for Bobby Humphrey in a swap of running backs.
Running back John Avery was traded in 1999, just one year after the Dolphins drafted him, to Denver for WR Marcus Nash; WR Ted Ginn Jr. was traded to San Francisco in 2010 and finally CB Vontae Davis was traded to the Colts in 2012 after three seasons in Miami.
