MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins have traded wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed Tuesday.
Miami will receive Denver’s 2026 first-round pick (30th overall), along with the Broncos’ late 2026 third and fourth-round selections (30th in each round) in this year’s draft.
In return, the Dolphins send Waddle and their fourth-round pick (11th in the round) to Denver.
Waddle, 27, was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Dolphins after a standout college career at Alabama, where he won a national championship and earned All-SEC honors twice.
Over his NFL career, Waddle has compiled 373 receptions for 5,039 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He has also added 84 first downs and 14 carries for 81 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
In 2025, Waddle hauled in 64 receptions on 100 targets for 910 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 14.2 yards per catch.
Miami now holds 11 selections in next month’s draft, including two in the first round (11th and 30th overall), one in the second round (43rd), and four in the third (75th, 87th, 90th, and 94th).
The move continues a wave of changes under new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley.
Over the past month, the team has already parted ways with key players including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, linebacker Bradley Chubb and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick as the front office reshapes the roster.
The Dolphins added wide receivers South Florida native and former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell and ex-Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert but both are not expected to be the No.1 wideout.
In one of his first interviews as general manager, Sullivan said that Waddle, along with running back De’Von Achane and center Aaron Brewer, had been players the organization had planned to build around — but those plans apparently changed when Denver presented the trade offer.
The acquisition of Waddle gives Denver another weapon for quarterback Bo Nix, who already has Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.
Nix led the Broncos to the AFC East Championship Game and the No. 1 seed in the NFL but suffered a season-ending fractured right ankle during the team’s divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 17, 2026. The Broncos ended up losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
The Dolphins are expected to add more weapons through the draft to support new quarterback Malik Willis, who is slated to take over as the team’s starter following Tagovailoa’s departure.
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