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DeVante Parker Says He 'Chose' Patriots Trade from Dolphins: '1st on My List'
April 21, 2022
DeVante Parker got his wish.
The Miami Dolphins traded the wide receiver and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for a 2023 third-round pick, and Parker said he pushed to be traded to the AFC East rivals.
"I chose to get traded here," Parker said Thursday, per Marcel Louis-Jacques and Mike Reiss of ESPN. "My agent [Jimmy Gould] hit me up, just telling me what the situation was, and the options I had for the teams to go to. The first on my list was the Patriots. I'm just excited we were able to get everything done."
While Parker's role with Miami became less clear after it traded for Tyreek Hill and signed Cedrick Wilson, it was still surprising to see the Dolphins move a talented playmaker to a team they will face twice a year in division play.
Still, general manager Chris Grier said he wanted to "do right by the player" with the deal.
"When you have an opportunity to do right by the player and the organization—both sides feel good about it," he said. "... Multiple teams called; the Patriots were the most aggressive. We worked with the agent, talked to DeVante, we wanted to do right by him as well. Getting that third-round pick was very important to us. We were fine if it was this year or next year."
Parker has been a staple of the Dolphins offense since they selected him with a first-round pick in the 2015 draft.
The Louisville product finished the 2021 campaign with 40 catches for 515 yards and two touchdowns and isn't far removed from the 2019 season when he tallied 72 catches for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns.
The 29-year-old provides second-year quarterback Mac Jones with another weapon as he looks to make strides from a rookie season that featured a Pro Bowl appearance but also some inconsistency throwing the ball downfield.
With Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers, it will be more difficult for opposing secondaries to lock in on one pass-catcher while also accounting for New England's typically strong rushing attack.
Perhaps that formula will help Parker reach the postseason for just the second time in his career.