Mike McDaniel makes a strong statement on the record regarding swirling trade rumors about his Dolphins players amid a disappointing start to the 2025 season

"It's tricky. Just for the record, all rumors about Miami Dolphins players are baseless, currently. And that's unfortunate for...personally, this time of year bothers me for the sake of an individual player that's having to answer questions about his long-term journey or has where he's playing questioned on rumors or thoughts of other people. We are focused on the Browns, and I try not to give legs to any of those rumors but if I was an individual player, it probably wouldn't be the greatest thing to hear."

— Head coach Mike McDaniel on the trade rumors surrounding the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins scheduled 2026 NFL Draft Picks

• Own picks in Rounds 1 through 5, and Round 7
• 2026 sixth round pick involved as conditional piece of trade for Darren Waller. Conditions of trade are currently unknown.
• Own additional 2026 third-round draft choice via trade with Houston (pick originally belonged to either Houston or New York (Giants)
• May be awarded a 2026 fourth-round compensatory choice for loss of Jevon Holland in free agency (play time dependent)

Not a lot of room for misinterpretation on this one, although there's likely layers to what is happening here.

McDaniel is also in the business of protecting the psyche of his players, which makes all the sense in the world for why he'd be so convicted in stiff-arming any chance that Miami is fielding calls for talent. The reality of the situation is there are likely a bunch of teams calling the Dolphins — they're hopeful to catch Miami in a sense of desperation for a win off the field.

But the only thing worse than being a team tempted to sell is a team that's selling at a discount. Miami should feel no reason to be desperate to offload talent, even amid the poor start. Teams can keep calling if they'd like — they almost certainly are. And Miami would be negligent to not pick up the phone. But to McDaniel's point, that doesn't mean things are imminent.

That could, of course, change. Or maybe it all is a white lie for the betterment of his players. Either way, coming straight out and saying anything otherwise doesn't help matters on any front — making this decision a play call that McDaniel has nailed on the nose.

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