Miami acquired linebacker Steve Kiner from New England on…
Miami acquired linebacker Steve Kiner from New England on August 4, 1972 for offensive tackle Bill Griffin. The historical record supports one Griffin in the exchange, not two separate players. Kiner was waived by Miami before the regular season, while Griffin never produced regular-season NFL value for New England. With neither side realizing meaningful on-field return, this belongs as an even trade.
Miami Dolphins Received
- player Steve Kiner
New England Patriots Received
- player Bill Griffin
Trade Analysis
What Changed Hands
Miami and New England completed a straight player swap on August 4, 1972: linebacker Steve Kiner went to the Dolphins and offensive tackle Bill Griffin went to the Patriots. Miami franchise records and player histories support that one-for-one structure. The older row duplicated Griffin under a second name, but the historical transaction does not support treating those as two separate assets.
What Miami Received
Kiner had started for New England in 1971 and intercepted four passes, so Miami was taking a reasonable chance on a player with recent production. The move never paid off. Kiner was waived by the Dolphins on August 30, before the 1972 regular season began. Miami therefore received no regular-season contribution from the player it acquired.
What New England Received
Griffin likewise failed to establish meaningful NFL value for the Patriots. His transaction history shows movement among clubs, but no regular-season NFL game record that would create a meaningful advantage for New England from this particular exchange. The Patriots acquired a tackle prospect, yet the realized return was effectively as limited as Miami’s.
Final Verdict
Once the duplicate Griffin entry is removed, the deal is a clean comparison of two players who provided little or no regular-season value to their new clubs. Neither team turned the exchange into a durable starter, productive reserve or downstream draft asset. That makes Even Trade the most defensible hindsight result, with C grades on both sides rather than forcing a winner where the actual outcomes did not separate.