Mike McDaniel: All Trade Rumors Involving Dolphins Players Are ‘Baseless’

With the trade deadline approaching in November, several players on the 1-5 Dolphins have cropped up as possible players who could be on the move. During Friday’s press conference, Miami HC Mike McDaniel called all rumors involving their players “baseless.” 

“For the record, all rumors about Miami Dolphins players are baseless currently,” McDaniel said, via the team’s YouTube. “And that’s unfortunate. Personally, not just this year for this team, this time of year bothers me for the sake of the individual player that’s having to answer questions about his long-term journey or where he’s playing questioned on rumors or thoughts of other people.”

Some of the names who have popped up as possible trade candidates include RB Jaylen Wright, OLB Bradley Chubb, OLB Jaelan Phillips, LB Willie Gay, and WR Jaylen Waddle.

Miami, however, has come up as a team interested in acquiring Seahawks CB Riq Woolen. 

Waddle, 26, was a part-time starter at Alabama. He was a first-team All-American as a sophomore before suffering an ankle injury that cost him a good portion of the 2020 season. The Dolphins drafted Waddle with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

He signed a four-year, $27,085,991 contract with the Dolphins that includes a $17,058,902 signing bonus as well as a fifth-year option. Miami exercised Waddle’s fifth-year option which is worth $15.591 million for the 2024 season. He’s in the second year of a three-year, $84.75 million extension. 

In 2025, Waddle has appeared in six games for the Dolphins and recorded 29 receptions for 390 yards (13.4 YPC) and three touchdowns.  

Chubb, 28, was the fifth-overall pick by the Broncos in the 2018 NFL Draft. He played out the fourth year of a four-year, $27.271 million fully-guaranteed rookie contract with the Broncos that included a $17.913 million signing bonus.

The Broncos decided to pick up his fifth-year option, which cost Denver $12.716 million for the 2022 season. He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023 when he was traded to the Dolphins midseason. 

Miami promptly signed him to a new five-year, $110 million deal, which they restructured last year to create over $14 million in cap space. He agreed to a pay cut in May, which cleared $16.3 million of cap space. 

In 2025, Chubb has appeared in six games for the Dolphins and recorded 15 tackles, four tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.