Jaylen Waddle‘s name has been mentioned in the build-up to the upcoming trade deadline despite his value to the Dolphins. Yesterday’s front office shake-up is not expected to result in a fire sale in terms of Miami roster pieces being dealt, but it appears as though the team’s stance on Waddle has shifted. 
Now-former general manager Chris Grier was adamant Waddle would not be traded. Given the Dolphins’ decision to move on and replace Grier with interim Champ Kelly, though, the door could now be open to a different approach ahead of the November 4 deadline. Kelly and the Dolphins “would at least consider” a Waddle trade at this point, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
As Rapoport cautions, Miami’s preference would still be to keep the former first-rounder in the fold. Waddle, 26, is under contract through 2028. His base salary for this season (just $1.17MM) would make a trade easy to absorb for any acquiring team. Nevertheless, Waddle’s pact contains future vesting dates for guarantees and a major jump in cap hit beginning in 2027.
Of course, the Alabama product’s value to the Dolphins now and in the future makes him a logical candidate to retain past the deadline and beyond. Waddle has operated as the team’s No. 1 option in the passing game since Tyreek Hill‘s season-ending injury and he has posted at least 82 yards in four of the past five games. With Hill’s future very much in doubt for 2026, Waddle could easily find himself as a focal point on offense for many years to come.
It would certainly come as a surprise if a trade were to materialize especially in the coming days on this front. As Rapoport writes, though, organization is viewed as being “far more open” to swinging trades following the shift to Kelly for at least the remainder of 2025. At least one Miami trade can be expected as a result, per Rapoport.
Much of the pre-deadline chatter on the trade front has concerned the Dolphins’ pass rush duo of Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. Those two are certainly among the more attractive EDGE options this year, and one or both could be on the move shortly. The same could now be true in Waddle’s case with a different decision-maker in place.