DeVante Parker forcing his way to Patriots will intensify Dolphins rivalry
Not too long ago, reports surfaced suggesting that former Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker “forced” his way to the New England Patriots via trade shortly after Miami acquired Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
How about some confirmation from the man himself? That’ll let the trash talk flow much more genuinely, right?
On Thursday, Parker spoke to the media for the first time since the trade that went down back on April 2. In addition to hyping up quarterback Mac Jones, Parker confirmed that he orchestrated the deal to Foxborough.
He may not be the true No. 1 wide receiver Patriots fans were hoping for, but anybody who willingly prefers to join Bill Belichick’s system — one that so many other players have openly criticized — immediately becomes a favorite. Great first impression by Parker.
DeVante Parker says he anted to be traded to the Patriots. Says this is an experience he wanted to be a part of. pic.twitter.com/oHmt9lpfKC
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) April 21, 2022
DeVante Parker says he chose the Patriots before the Dolphins traded him
"“I chose to get traded here,” Parker said, via ESPN. “My agent [Jimmy Gould] hit me up, just telling me what the situation was, and the options I had for the teams to go to. The first on my list was the Patriots. I’m just excited we were able to get everything done.”"
How’s that for intensifying the rivalry with the Miami Dolphins, who ruined the Patriots’ season with a sweep in 2021? Throw in Miami’s personnel upgrades on the field and among the coaching staff, and this division tilt was already heating up in a colossal way.
Throw in Parker’s penchant for trash talk, and he might be out for blood against his former team when they go head to head in 2022.
DeVante Parker is hype about his new QB pic.twitter.com/WhlbUqsjBs
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) April 21, 2022
And to be honest, we didn’t hear Parker say anything about Tua Tagovailoa’s arm strength, so he must really be excited to catch rockets from Jones after working out with the former No. 15 overall pick since his arrival.
If you look at these two rosters, there’s plenty of crossover and history, especially over the last few years. Miami swiped both Kyle Van Noy, Jason McCourty, Eric Rowe and Elandon Roberts from the Patriots within the last couple seasons. The Patriots have now added Parker and Davon Godchaux in consecutive offseasons.
The Bills are public enemy No. 1 right now after winning the division two straight years … but the Patriots-Dolphins matchups will now be even more high stakes given the even playing field and personnel swaps.
