San Diego sent developmental quarterback Cleo Lemon to Miami…
San Diego sent developmental quarterback Cleo Lemon to Miami and received A.J. Feeley plus a 2006 sixth-round pick, later used on Kurt Smith. Feeley never became important to the Chargers and Smith did not produce lasting value, so the return was modest. Still, San Diego extracted two assets from a third-string quarterback while Miami received only eight eventual starts from Lemon.
Los Angeles Chargers Received
- player A.J. Feeley
- pick 2006 6th round pick (188th overall, Kurt Smith)
Miami Dolphins Received
- player Cleo Lemon
Trade Analysis
This transaction looked larger on paper than it ultimately became. Miami was searching for quarterback options during Nick Saban's first season and acquired Cleo Lemon, an undrafted developmental passer who had been buried behind Drew Brees and Philip Rivers in San Diego. The Dolphins paid A.J. Feeley, whom they had acquired at a much higher cost only a year earlier, and a sixth-round pick. Official Chargers trade history identifies that selection as No. 188 in 2006, used on Kurt Smith. Lemon did eventually provide Miami with usable snaps. He was inactive for the remainder of 2005, served as a reserve in 2006 and became part of the Dolphins' quarterback rotation in 2007. Across his Miami tenure he made eight starts. His best stretch included a 300-yard overtime victory late in the 2007 season, but he never established himself as a long-term starter and left after the year. San Diego's incoming assets were not especially productive either. Feeley was insurance behind the Chargers' young quarterback room and did not become a meaningful regular-season contributor for the club. Smith, the sixth-round choice, never developed into a lasting NFL piece. That limits the Chargers' upside and keeps this from being a major win. The difference is asset efficiency. San Diego turned a third-string quarterback with no regular-season passing résumé into another veteran quarterback plus a draft choice. Miami received some later starts from Lemon, but they came during a period of instability and did not solve the position. The Chargers therefore earn a narrow victory, while the corrected draft-pick detail makes clear that this was more than a simple Feeley-for-Lemon swap.