The Miami Dolphins made a massive move this offseason by trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos for a first and third-round pick.
It was a clear sign that the team is fully rebuilding, but it drew some raised eyebrows thanks to their decision earlier in the offseason to sign Malik Willis to a $67.5 million free agent deal.
As ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques revealed, Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan talked with Willis about the new QB being “tricked” in the wake of Waddle’s trade.
Dolphins GM talks with Malik Willis about being ‘tricked’ into signing with Miami
“Sullivan said he had a conversation with Willis to make sure he didn’t feel ‘tricked,’ but kept the details of that conversation private,” Louis-Jacques reports.
Trading away Waddle was a major move for the Dolphins, as it effectively gutted the wide receiver room into what’s likely the worst WR room in the NFL.
And for Willis, a quarterback looking to make his mark and get even more money in the NFL and cement himself as a franchise starter, this barren WR room is not a good thing.
However, Sullivan talked with Willis about this Waddle trade and how he wasn’t tricking Willis into signing with the Dolphins with the appeal of throwing to Waddle.
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Miami could now take a top-tier rookie wide receiver at 11th overall, with Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, or Omar Cooper Jr. all viable options.
Down the board at 30th overall – the pick from the Waddle trade – the Dolphins could take Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, or, if they’re lucky, one of the top-four receivers who fell down the draft.
While Willis has a worse cast of receivers to throw to, it could look a bit different come the actual start of the season. Whether it’s through free agency, trade, or most likely, the draft, Willis should have a better WR corps to target in 2026 than he does right now.
At the end of the day, Sullivan made sure to talk with Willis about the WR room in the wake of the Waddle trade, and specifically, how the Dolphins didn’t trick the former Green Bay Packers QB to sign with the Dolphins.
