FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In a rare trade between AFC East rivals, the New England Patriots have acquired Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Dolphins’ acquisition of Tyreek Hill, and the free-agent signing of Cedrick Wilson Jr., made Parker expendable. Miami will now have two first-round picks, a second-rounder and two third-rounders in the 2023 draft.
Meanwhile, Parker could be a top option for Patriots second-year quarterback Mac Jones, joining a receiving corps that includes top returnees Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.
The Patriots inherit the remaining two years of Parker’s contract, which calls for him to earn base salaries of $5.65 million in 2022 and $5.7 million in 2023.
Head coach Bill Belichick knows Parker well from having prepared his teams to face him since 2015, when the Louisville alum entered the NFL as a first-round pick of the Dolphins.
The 6-foot-3, 219-pound Parker played in 10 games last season (8 starts) and totaled 40 receptions for 515 yards and two touchdowns.
Over his NFL career, he’s played in 93 games (64 starts), with 338 receptions for 4,727 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The Patriots are expecting to receive a compensatory third-round pick in 2023 as a result of losing cornerback J.C. Jackson in free agency.