Recently the Dolphins announced that they're likely to exercise the fifth year option on DeVante Parker but it shouldn't have taken this long. For those of you who don't know, rookie contracts are structured in such a way that rookies drafted above a certain threshold are guaranteed four years and a certain amount of money per year. Some time, usually during the third year or shortly after it, the team can Pick up the fifth year option for a slightly higher dollar figure than the first four years. Last year only six of the thirty two players who were eligible for it, had their team decline a player's fifth year option and those players are regarded by most as monumental busts, or the team came to agreements with the player on a long term contract.
Parker's 5th year option should be obvious move for the Dolphins
I like to think that I approach everything with a prudent business sense. With that being said all aspects of the business of the NFL leads me to the conclusion that the Dolphins would be foolish to not reserve the right to a fifth year of Parker's services.
Per Pro Football Reference, over the course of his three year career, Parker has 139 receptions, 8 touchdowns, and 1,908 yards receiving. These numbers are less than stellar and to the naked eye it may seem like the fifth year option at $9.5 million isn't warranted. But what has not been accounted for are the circumstances under which this occurred.
During Parker's three year career the starting quarterbacks for the Dolphins have been Ryan Tannehill who has missed an enormous amount of time due to major injury and has been less than impressive when healthy.
Matt Moore, a career journeyman quarterback has filled in for him a decent amount during his injuries and let's just say he's a journeyman quarterback for a reason. Lastly this past year he was quarterbacked by Jay Cutler who has a high propensity for turning the ball over and has been accused by many of being unprepared and sometimes uninterested.
As a result of their issues at quarterback and recent moves such as shipping off highly paid star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and star receiver Jarvis Landry who just inked a 5-year, $75 million dollar deal with the Browns, the Dolphins are clearly in the beginning stages of a rebuild. In order to conduct this rebuild they'll need young and talented players to build a corps and Parker should be a part of that corps for at least through his fifth year because of his athletic ability, his potential for stardom with a good quarterback, and the relatively low cost financially.
To begin their rebuild many experts and fans have speculated that the Dolphins will look to select a quarterback with the eleventh overall pick or look to trade up in the draft to make that selection. With a young quarterback you absolutely need what me and many others may refer to as a safety valve for the quarterback to get the ball out of their hands.
Sometimes that could be a savvy receiving running back who runs in the flats or short routes, no more than five yards. It could be a big tight end who is a big target and can find open pockets in a zone or be a mismatch nightmare for defenders. Parker on the other hand fits the bill by being 6'3" and 210 pounds, as well as a skilled and athletic receiver.
His athleticism and size affords a quarterback the ability to throw him the ball in such a way that he is the only player who can get to it.
The financial side
In addition to him being a necessary resource for a young quarterback he is also relatively cheap when you consider his potential. Parker is still projected, despite his slow start, by many to be a good receiver in this league. $9.5 million looks like a high price tag for a potential star but in terms of the two years of team control that the fifth year option affords the Dolphins, the per year cap hit will only be about a total of $13 million or $6.5 per year.
Along with the two years of control, he now becomes a trading asset if trading him becomes a prudent business decision because he will be under contract instead of a free agent.
Also, with the Dolphins being in a rebuilding mode, cap space isn't an incredibly scarce resource. In fact, they'll need to spend a certain amount to reach a certain threshold that every team must reach per the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
On top of that, receivers are a relatively high paid position and receivers are going for a lot of money. So to have a guy who has shown star qualities on your roster for $9.5 million makes sense when your former star receiver just signed for $15 million per year over the course of a five year commitment.
Lastly, if you can avoid feeling awkward when you look at a person as an investment it makes sense to see the investment of DeVante Parker through.
The Dolphins invested an awful lot of draft capital to acquire him with a first-round pick and now it's time to see that investment through to the end. For those of you that are Texas Hold Em players you don't want to be the player who bets a large amount on the flop and the turn and then folds before you see the river when the other players on the hand simply checked the play to you.
