Dolphins 'highly unlikely' to trade Jaylen Waddle, source says - ESPN

The Dolphins are willing to listen to offers on any of their players ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, but it is — in the words of one well-placed source — «highly unlikely» that Miami will trade wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins are expected to trade away at least one of their pass rushers, according to league sources, but a trade involving Waddle would be exceedingly difficult to pull off for a variety of reasons.

For starters, the Dolphins are expected to ask for — in the words of a source — «a 1-plus» in any potential trade for Waddle, meaning they believe they would have to receive a first-round draft pick plus other compensation.

Even though Waddle might be the wide receiver who has drawn the most interest around the league ahead of the deadline, sources do not expect that a team will be willing to part with a first-round pick along with other compensation, even as attractive as Waddle is to multiple teams.

Could the Dolphins decrease their demands in the next 48 hours? Anything always is possible in the NFL.

But not only might Waddle be the Dolphins' best player, he also is playing on a contract that is scheduled to pay him about $40 million in 2026 and 2027 — a strong value compared with the contracts of some of the league's top wideouts.

The 26-year-old Waddle, a former first-round draft pick, has 41 catches for 586 yards and four touchdowns this season. He will make just over $16.6 million fully guaranteed in 2026, followed by just over $15.2 million fully guaranteed in 2027 if he is on Miami's roster on the third day of the 2026 league year.

League sources believe, however, that there is a strong — even likely — chance that the Dolphins will trade at least one of their pass rushers before the 4