The Dolphins are willing to roll the dice on $9 million, for a guy who’s not even catching three passes a game.
Dolphins coach Adam Gase just told reporters that he intends to play wide receiver DeVante Parker this week in a meaningless game against the Bills.
And as outlined by Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, that comes with a considerable risk — specifically a $9.37 million injury guarantee on Parker for 2019 — the amount of his fifth-year option.
“Yeah, I’m aware,” Gase said.
The Dolphins could rescind that option on Parker before the start of the league year, and production alone would justify that. Parker has just 24 catches for 309 yards in 10 games this year, and hasn’t topped either 60 catches or 750 yards in any of his four seasons.
But if he plays Sunday and suffers an injury that would compromise his ability to play next year, they’d be on the hook for the balance.
The Dolphins have lost a player to a knee injury in practice this season (Cordrea Tankersley), underscoring the reality that things can happen any time. And if they purely wanted to protect themselves financially, they wouldn’t let him get near a field.