DeVante Parker Is Heading To The New England Patriots

DeVante Parker Is On The Move, But Not Out Of The AFC East

DeVante Parker is heading to New England! Ian Rapoport reported minutes ago that the former thousand-yard receiver is being traded to their AFC East rival the Patriots. In return, the Patriots will be giving up a third-round pick in next year’s draft. It was an up-and-down tenure in Miami for the former first-round pick. After a career year in 2019, Parker was a borderline Pro Bowler after putting up 1200+ yards. Things appeared to possibly be turning around after a rocky start to life in the NFL. Since then, it has sadly not been the case. Parker put up just over 1300 yards over the following two seasons thanks in part to shaky quarterback play and a poor offensive line.

It Was Time To Cut Ties

DeVante Parker has had 7 seasons in the NFL to date. Sometimes he looked like the next big thing at wide receiver, other times he flat out looked bad. It became clear during this offseason that the Dolphins showed that they were ready to move on. After trading for Tyreek Hill and dishing out a record contract, the receiver room was quickly becoming crowded. Especially with rookie standout Jaylen Waddle already in the fold as well. Furthermore, with the recent news of the Fins restructuring Xavien Howard’s contract to the tune of 5 years and roughly $90 million, money was getting tight in South Beach. There are certainly pluses to this trade for the Dolphins. Miami not only brought down their salary bill but also recouped some draft capital after giving up so much for the former Chief.

You Could Say “Consistency?”

In New England, there will be a few key similarities to what went on in Miami. To start, Parker will continue to pass catches from a young Alabama quarterback. Instead of Tua Tagovailoa, it will be Mac Jones under center. Furthermore, Parker was in Miami for all of Brian Flores’ coaching tenure. He will now be getting coached by Flores’ mentor Bill Belichick. As well, Parker will still remain in the AFC East. Even though he will be playing against the Dolphins this time around, he will still play the Bills and Jets twice a season. I certainly see this as a win for New England, as Jones will have another weapon to throw to along the likes of Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, and others.

It’s been two similar offseasons for these trade partners. Miami wants to take the next step forward and become a playoff team, while the Patriots are looking to make upgrades. However, winning in the playoffs is what they have in mind. Despite making flashy offseason moves from Miami, the Patriots may get the better end of this deal. Somehow, in some way, Bill Belichick has a way of getting the best out of his players.