Dolphins make trades official and the transaction log reveals a key detail that will impact Miami's rooting interest in the future
The fireworks came a few days early for the Miami Dolphins last week when the news of trades being agreed to with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants came to open July. Monday of this week didn't come with nearly as much excitement, but it did come with some necessarily formalities — which have brought […]
The fireworks came a few days early for the Miami Dolphins last week when the news of trades being agreed to with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants came to open July.
Monday of this week didn't come with nearly as much excitement, but it did come with some necessarily formalities — which have brought clarity on the official terms of Miami's early July moves. The NFL's official transaction wire posted both the Dolphins' trade with Pittsburgh and their deal with the New York Giants on Monday — meaning the trades of Jonnu Smith & Jalen Ramsey away from South Florida, the return of Minkah Fitzpatrick, and the addition of formerly retired tight end Darren Waller to Miami are all now official.
With these trades officially processed and finalized, we now know exactly what was sent where. The final terms offer a little clarify on the little things the Dolphins know they'll need to be rooting for down the road.
The official terms of both Dolphins trades
Miami's trade with Pittsburgh didn't come with any surprise terms, but there is a key detail that was unknown until now. Per the NFL's daily transaction wire, Pittsburgh has traded their own fifth-round draft choice in 2027 as a part of the deal. The Steelers owned both their own draft pick and an extra fifth-round selection as a part of the picks exchanged from their trade with Dallas to send wide receiver George Pickens to the Cowboys. Miami will, as a result, have no need to root against the Cowboys in 2027 in hopes of that pick landing higher in the queue.
The official terms of that trade are, otherwise, exactly what you'd expect.
MIAMI RECEIVES:
– Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick
– 2027 fifth-round draft choice (Pittsburgh)
PITTSBURGH RECEIVES:
– Cornerback Jalen Ramsey
– Tight end Jonnu Smith
– 2027 seventh-round draft choice (Miami)
Meanwhile, the conditions around the draft choice involved in the Waller selection are still unknown. The initial reports suggested the Dolphins' sixth-round pick was conditional but quickly flipped to indicate that it is the pick coming back to Miami is the one that could change. That was confirmed on the official wire.
MIAMI RECEIVES:
– Tight end Darren Waller
– Conditional 2027 seventh-round selection (New York)
NEW YORK RECEIVES:
– 2026 sixth-round selection
What could those conditions be? It's likely a protection for Miami in the event that Waller is a disaster and, potentially, fails to play amid a return from retirement. Educated guesses would suggest that play-time thresholds or even making the active roster could serve as formal conditionals that would prompt the Dolphins to receive a conditional seventh-round pick or, alternatively, potentially receive a better one.
If the bet on Waller goes south and the pick coming back to Miami upgrades to a 2027 sixth-round choice, the cost for the chance will be deferring a late round pick by a year — offsetting any potential loss of value. This is all speculative but can help provide some idea of what kind of condition may be tied to New York's pick in 2027.
Here's to Waller being everything Miami needs him to be and no conditions to upgrade the return pick being needed. That's still a ways away, but the first step was taken on Monday when both this trade and the one with Pittsburgh were formally processed.
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