The NFL trade deadline is closing fast, and the Dolphins are once again in the middle of the chatter. With Tuesday set to shut the door on in-season movement, Miami’s name keeps coming up because of its record. The catch is that the team doesn’t exactly have a stash of attractive trade chips, and the few pieces it would actually want to move are the ones it would prefer to keep.
Austin Jackson sits in that awkward middle ground. He hasn’t been as rough as he was earlier this season, but that’s a pretty low bar. Even so, he remains one of the more likely Dolphins to be discussed before the deadline, and the return would probably be modest at best - maybe even something as thin as a conditional 2028 draft pick.
Jackson might not be a player many fans would lose sleep over if he were dealt, but his own comments on Friday only added fuel to the idea that Miami should go ahead and make the move.
Asked by Miami Herald beat journalist Barry Jackson whether he had heard anything about the trade talk, Jackson said, “I don’t think anybody would want me to know beforehan d",” Jackson replied. “So it’s kind of one of those situations where if it happens, it happens.”
That alone was pretty telling. Then Palm Beach Post beat writer Joe Schad asked whether he preferred to stay in Miami, and Jackson made his stance even clearer.
“My preference is to be with whoever wants me. Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling towards the end of my career.”
That line says plenty. Jackson doesn’t sound attached to staying in Miami, and the Dolphins are trying to build something with players who want to be part of it.
Zach Sieler, Jordyn Brooks, and others have answered similar questions by making it clear they want to remain with the team and see things through. Jackson’s response lands differently.
The Dolphins’ roster is full of younger players battling for snaps and trying to earn respect. Miami wants a culture built on grit, physicality, and, eventually, winning. Jackson’s comments don’t exactly sound like the voice of someone locked into that mission.
The other part of his answer is just as notable. Jackson talked about being near the end of his career, and that’s a strange place for a player with seven NFL seasons to be speaking from, especially when so many of those seasons have been shortened. He hasn’t played a full season since 2023, has missed more than half the games over the last three years, and has only three seasons with more than 13 appearances.
For Jon-Eric Sullivan, that’s another warning sign. If Jackson is already talking like this in season seven, the Dolphins probably shouldn’t wait around.
Jackson is set to become a free agent after the season, and he hasn’t given Miami much in the way of steady play on the offensive line. A trade might help him, and it may be the cleaner move for the Dolphins too. The only real question is how quickly Sullivan can find a deal for a player who likely won’t bring back much.
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Jonah Savaiinaeas recent play has now become part of the conversation too. Against New England, he had his first penalty of the season and drew a poor evaluation from the grading side, which is not the kind of trend Miami wants to see from a young lineman still trying to settle in. The Dolphins have reason to keep a close eye on how the group responds next, because the margin for error on the offensive line gets thinner when one spot is already in flux. [Read more 🡒]
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There is also a little extra edge attached to the visit. Dan Campbell is back in Miami for the first time since his interim run with the Dolphins in 2015, adding a familiar face to a game that already carries real weight for a team trying to change the tone of its season. For Miami, the challenge is obvious: turn a tough matchup into the kind of win that can shift the conversation around the rest of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Week 9 Edge Fans Didnt Expect
The Dolphins head into their Week 9 matchup with Detroit in a far better spot on the injury front than they have for much of the season, carrying only three players as questionable on the report. Miami also gets a boost up front with rookie guard Kadyn Proctor back after clearing concussion protocol, giving the offensive line a healthier look at a time when every bit of stability matters.
Detroit, meanwhile, is dealing with a much longer list of absences and uncertainty heading into the game. The Lions have already ruled out five starters, and several more players are either questionable or still working through injury protocols, which gives Miami an opening it did not necessarily expect when the week began. [Read more 🡒]