The Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots have been heated rivals since the Dolphins were first added to the American Football League as the fledgling circuit’s ninth franchise in 1966.
Since then, and since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970, the two teams have battled for the AFC East lead, and slugged it out in numerous memorable games.
There was the “snowplow game” in December of 1982, when stormy, icy conditions kept the teams in a scoreless tie well into the fourth quarter. Then Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan somehow put together a drive that took New England deep into Miami territory.
That’s when Patriots coach Ron Meyer called in the plow to clear away a patch of previously ice-and-snow covered turf that would set up left-legged kicker John Smith for the field goal.
He made it, thanks to the work of the snowplow, from 33 yards out and the Patriots took home the 3-0 victory.
However in that strike-shortened, nine-game 1982 season, the Dolphins finished at 7-2 then eliminated the Patriots in the first round of an expanded playoffs.
Miami and got all the way to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Washington Redskins.
New Trade Proposal Sets Decades-Old Rivalry Aside
The 1985 season saw the Patriots get to the franchise’s first Super Bowl, defeating Miami in the AFC Championship game which became memorable for New England’s slogan “Squish the Fish.”
Then in 2018, the Dolphins humiliated the Tom Brady-led Patriots in what became known as the “Miami Miracle” game.
The regular season contest ended with the Dolphins scoring a walk-off touchdown win with a 69-yard series of laterals on the final play.
Despite the rivalry, a new proposed trade between the two teams, would offer benefits to both. New England would add speed and a new level of skill to what was a league-worst passing game in 2024, with only 2,995 yards in the air. The Dolphins would gain, at minimum, a third-round pick — of which the Patriots now own two.
The proposal comes from the 68,800-follower Boston sports X (formerly Twitter) account known as “Savage.”
“Trade scenario: Patriots receive: Tyreek Hill. Dolphins receive: Patriots third round draft pick (77). Who says no?” the Savage sports account asked on Sunday.
Day 2 Pick Brings in 5-Time All-Pro
Hill, at age 31, is an eight-time Pro Bowl pick and five-time first-team All-Pro selection.
The five-foot-10-inch wide receiver is also one of the fastest players in the NFL, with his speed clocked at up to 23.24 miles per hour. For comparison, Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles was recorded at 27.09 mph in the 100-meter dash.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, Hill led the NFL in receiving yardage at 1,799 and touchdowns by a receiver with 13 in 2023.
Combined with new free agent signing Stephon Diggs, who at this point in his career is primarily an over-the-middle and slot receiver, Hill provides a whole new weapon for second-year quarterback Drake Maye as true deep threat. His longest reception in 2024 was 80 yards, and he has recorded catches for 75 yards or more in six of his nine NFL seasons, the last three of which have been spent in Miami.
As for the Patriots, they currently own a pair of third-round picks: their own at No. 69, and one they received from the Atlanta Falcons in a trade for edge rusher Matt Judon before the 2024 season. That is the 77th overall pick that “Savage” suggests as a fair trade for Hill.
“If the Patriots want Drake Maye to make a second-year leap, they need to surround him with weapons,” wrote Steve DelVecchio of Yardbarker. “A duo of Diggs and Hill would turn New England’s wide receiver room from one of the worst in the league to one of the best in a single offseason.”
