DeVante Parker's 5th-Year Contract Option Exercised by Dolphins

DeVante Parker will remain with the Miami Dolphins through the 2019 season after the team reportedly picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, the team announced Tuesday. 

Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post first reported the Dolphins had picked up Parker's option.

The wide receiver has delivered somewhat underwhelming returns since the Dolphins made him the 14th overall selection in the 2015 draft. In his first three seasons, he has caught 139 passes for 1,908 yards and eight touchdowns.

Fans got excited after Parker had 744 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2016, but he regressed in 2017, catching 57 passes for 670 yards and a touchdown. The 25-year-old finished 69th among qualified wide receivers in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), per Football Outsiders.

The disappointing Jay Cutler experiment unquestionably accounted for some of Parker's struggles last year, but the issues predated the quarterback's arrival.

Perhaps that's why Dolphins executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum was noncommittal about Parker's option when discussing the topic in January, per Schad:

"DeVante is another guy we drafted here. We want to see him reach his potential. I know it's important to him. Obviously, he's dealt with injuries, which is I'm sure as frustrating to him as it is to us. We're going to keep working with him and try to get him to be the best player he can be. Obviously he has a big ceiling and a lot of ability. He works hard at it. Like I said, I think it's important to him. In terms of where we'll go with his contract and his option, we have plenty of time to make that decision, so that's a ways down the road."

There isn't a ton of downside to exercising Parker's 2019 option, though.

If he doesn't show major improvement in 2018, then the Dolphins can rescind the option prior to the start of the 2019 league season, in which case Parker would become a free agent. The Miami Herald's Armando Salguero noted last November was a possibility for 2014 first-round draft pick Ja'Wuan James before the Dolphins eventually kept James on the roster this past offseason.

Should Parker take a step forward next year, Miami will have saved itself a significant amount of money with the option.

Consider the fact the Buffalo Bills declined Sammy Watkins' fifth-year option this time last year. They then traded him to the Los Angeles Rams, who watched the wide receiver sign a three-year, $48 million deal with $30 million guaranteed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Paul Richardson, who hasn't played drastically better than Parker in his first four seasons, earned a five-year, $40 million contract from the Washington Redskins that includes $16.5 million guaranteed.

Given the going rate for experienced receivers in free agency, the Dolphins could have risked losing Parker after the 2018 season by declining his option. Now, they've got him under team control for an extra year, which allows the front office another season to determine whether he's worth offering a long-term extension.

By trading Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns, Miami is setting the stage for Parker to have his best season yet.

While the Dolphins signed Danny Amendola to replace Landry, Parker should get plenty of targets from a returning Ryan Tannehill.

At the very least, Parker should justify his 2019 salary as long as he remains healthy and productive in 2018.