The Miami Dolphins are in rebuild mode under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, the former Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel. On Monday, the team sent wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, and that combination of factors made Packers fans excited about a potential trade for themselves — one that would land explosive running back De’Von Achane in Green Bay.

Not so fast.

Why the Dolphins are not expected to trade Achane away

When new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan took the position in January, he did a sit-down interview with the team’s in-house media personality, Travis Wingfield. During that interview, he talked about four building blocks on the roster: Center Aaron Brewer, linebacker Jordyn Brooks, left tackle Patrick Paul, and running back Devon Achane. Incidentally, he did not originally include Jaylen Waddle in the conversation before a follow up prompted praise from Sullivan.

That feels like an important note in Miami’s perceived actions this week. The Waddle trade was a handsome one in the way of compensation. The Dolphins asked for the moon and got it; but subliminally it would seem as though Miami’s new lead man subliminally felt a strong tie to those four as the core players on the roster.

So for Achane moving forward, a ‘Godfather offer’ probably could facilitate a deal, but I do get the sense that Miami would like to keep Achane to build around — Sullivan mentioned this offseason that they intend to have extension talks with Brooks, Brewer, and Achane this summer. So if you’re going to pull Miami off of keeping Achane in the fray, I would suspect it would require a top-50 pick equivalent at a minimum to start the conversation. They’re not looking to give him away despite the circumstance of their team in 2026.

Why it’s hard to see the Packers pulling it off

There’s little doubt that head coach Matt LaFleur would love to have Achane on his offense — it’s a fast and explosive player, and you don’t need projection to see the fit, since Achane thrived on a similar offensive structure under Mike McDaniel.

Even though the Packers do have the 52nd overall pick, it’s unimaginable for them to pull the trigger on a trade like that. First, because the team already has a high-level running back in Josh Jacobs, and he’s under contract for two more years. Second, because running back isn’t a premium position whatsoever — spending that type of draft capital there is highly questionable in itself.

Even more so because Achane is on the last year of his rookie deal and should soon demand a contract extension — to make things more difficult, he got the Level 3 proven performance escalator, elevating his 2026 salary to $5.767 million.

Presumably, the Packers could entice the Dolphins with a player in the trade package, and Sullivan knows Green Bay’s roster pretty well. However, it’s hard to find a combination that works for both sides.

Green Bay could be willing to part ways with a guy like Dontayvion Wicks, but he probably doesn’t move the needle much for Miami. Jayden Reed would, but he’s much more valuable for the Packers (and in general, due to his position) than Achane would be at this point. Green Bay may not be willing to give a second contract to Reed, but Achane also requires an extension, so his new deal would likely mean Jacobs is gone after this season — that’s a lot of ifs to consider.

It’s reasonable to look at rebuilding teams and see if there’s any potential player who would make sense for your own roster. But the Dolphins perceive Achane as a long-term piece, and the price to move them from this plan makes a deal for Achane highly unlikely for the Packers — especially considering what already is a limited draft capital after trading two first-round picks for Micah Parsons seven months ago.

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Wendell Ferreira