Report: Dolphins tried to trade for Matthew Stafford before 2018 season
The long, winding journey that was the Ryan Tannehill era with the Miami Dolphins came to an end earlier this month when the quarterback was traded to the Tennessee Titans.
The Dolphins were reportedly trying to move on from Tannehill for quite some time.
According to the Miami Herald, the team “mounted an effort” to trade for Matthew Stafford, the longtime starting quarterback of the Detroit Lions, “before the 2018 season.” Adam Gase, the former Dolphins head coach who now holds the same role with the New York Jets, led the charge, per the Herald, and reached out to Lions coach Matt Patricia in the process.
The talks didn’t get too far and Tannehill played out the 2018 season in Miami, his seventh with the team, while Stafford played his 10th year in Detroit.
Entering 2018, Tannehill was coming off a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2017 campaign. And even when healthy, the 2012 first-round pick has been an inconsistent performer. From that perspective, it makes sense why the Dolphins would seek out an upgrade even while team officials repeatedly denied that they were looking to move Tannehill.
And for what it’s worth, Lions general manager Bob Quinn denied that any Stafford trade talks took place.
Tannehill’s replacement for 2019: Ryan Fitzpatrick
Tannehill’s performance in 2018 further backed up that sentiment. He threw for 1,979 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 11 starts as the Dolphins endured a 7-9 season. Once the year came to a close, the Dolphins fired Gase, brought in New England Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores as the new head coach and shipped off Tannehill to the Titans.
The 2019 season does not look especially promising. After reported efforts to land Teddy Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor, journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was brought in via free agency and is the team’s likely starter in 2019, but not a long-term solution.
Flores, speaking Tuesday at the NFL’s owners meetings, denied that the team would make an effort to position itself for the one of the top quarterbacks in the 2020 draft, like Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. He doesn’t even want you to bring up the word “tanking.”
“The term tanking is disrespectful to the game,” Flores said, via the Palm Beach Post. “To use that term stirs something inside me. No. There is no tanking.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
Wetzel: Avenatti could still have dirt on Nike, college sports
LeBron praises Lonzo as Ball family considers shuttering the brand
Kerber loses twice to same opponent, calls her 'drama queen'
