New Orleans acquired linebacker Derrick Rodgers from Miami in…
New Orleans acquired linebacker Derrick Rodgers from Miami in May 2003 for a 2004 seventh-round pick. Miami gained a future late-round asset and the Saints added an experienced defender at a very low acquisition cost. Neither side created a major long-term advantage, but New Orleans received usable veteran depth for a pick with limited expected value, giving the Saints a narrow edge rather than a decisive win.
Miami Dolphins Received
- pick 2004 7th round pick (219th overall subsequently traded, Quincy Wilson )
New Orleans Saints Received
- player Derrick Rodgers
Trade Analysis
Why New Orleans Added Rodgers
The Saints were buying inexpensive veteran experience. Derrick Rodgers had already spent multiple seasons in the league, and the acquisition price was only a future seventh-round selection. For a club trying to improve its defensive depth without sacrificing meaningful draft capital, that is the kind of low-cost move that can make sense even if the player never becomes a long-term starter.
What Miami Gained
Miami's side was straightforward. The Dolphins turned a player they were prepared to move into a 2004 seventh-round pick. That choice was eventually associated with the 219th overall slot and a later transaction involving Quincy Wilson. Seventh-rounders carry limited expected value, but obtaining one is still preferable to receiving nothing when a veteran no longer fits the roster plan.
How the Outcomes Stayed Close
The reason this deal does not deserve a large grade gap is that neither return became a franchise-changing asset. Rodgers offered New Orleans short-term depth, while Miami preserved a small amount of future flexibility. The Saints did not surrender a pick that normally carries high replacement cost, and the Dolphins did not lose a player who went on to become a major star after leaving.
Final Verdict
New Orleans Saints Win, narrowly. A C for Miami recognizes that extracting a future pick was sensible business. New Orleans earns a C-plus because the Saints acquired an experienced defender for one of the least expensive forms of draft compensation. This is a small transaction with a small separation: useful veteran depth beat speculative late-round value, but only by enough to give New Orleans the modest edge.
New Orleans paid only a seventh-round choice for experienced linebacker depth, while Miami converted a movable veteran into future draft capital, leaving the Saints with the slightly more useful immediate football return from a modest transaction.