The 2025 NFL trade deadline is on Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. ET. And with teams scrambling to make last-minute moves, former Cowboys star Michael Irvin has one message for Dallas: act fast, and act smart.

He took to his YouTube channel and urged owner Jerry Jones to scoop up some Miami Dolphins players. “Bradley Chubb, who will be making about a million dollars this year. Will they be trading him?” Irvin questioned. “Will they be trading Jaelan Phillips, who is making about $13 million? … And then, everybody talks about [Jaylen] Waddle.”

Here’s why Irvin wants Dallas to pay attention to these players specifically: The Miami Dolphins pulled the trigger on a front-office shakeup, firing their GM, Chris Grier, midyear. And now, the rumor mill is spinning out of control. Many expect a fire sale in Miami. At least, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano hinted at it. And the names thrown around were Chubb, Matthew Judon, Phillips, as well as Waddle, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jaylen Wright.

Bringing in guys like Chubb or Phillips might not fix everything that’s gone wrong with the Cowboys’ defense this season. For instance, Chubb could help on the edge, but the Cowboys could continue getting gashed up the middle due to poor linebacker play. However, his presence would still give them a boost, and so Irvin believes that a change would be better than nothing at all.

“All this talk about the Dallas Cowboys in the market for a trade. When I heard Bradley Chubb’s only gonna be making a million, I said ‘Uh Oh,’ a new GM, Cowboys will be poking around to see what kind of deal they can get,” Irvin opined.

“So they’re throwing everything around what’s going on with the Dolphins, and I say, ‘Hmm. That looks like a situation where Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones will be calling to see what they can get’.”

There’s plenty of logic behind that idea.

• Chubb, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, was shipped to Miami from Denver back in 2022. He has a base salary of just $1.255 million this season, though if the Dolphins were to move him before Tuesday’s trade deadline, they’d be stuck with a $23.8 million dead-money hit in 2026.
• Phillips, meanwhile, is playing on his fifth-year option, pulling in $13.25 million for the season. If the Cowboys made a move, they’d be taking on around $5.8 million of that salary. It might just be enough to tempt Jerry Jones.

The catch? Dallas wouldn’t be the only team at the table. According to insider Mike Florio, multiple clubs have already inquired about Miami’s pass rushers, meaning it could turn into a bidding war.

But what about Jaylen Waddle? Well, the Cowboys, or any other team, can forget about him.

The Dolphins are reluctant to trade WR Jaylen Waddle

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter poured cold water on the idea that the Dolphins might entertain offers for their star wideout. “For starters, the Dolphins are expected to ask for (in the words of a source) “a 1-plus” in any potential trade for Waddle, meaning they believe they would have to receive a first-round draft pick plus other compensation,” he wrote.

Sure, the Cowboys have the draft capital, two first-rounders over the next two years. But does it feel like a deal that makes sense for anyone involved? Jerry Jones loves a splash as much as anyone in football, but this wouldn’t solve his problems.

And for Miami, it’s hard to imagine life without Waddle. He has been one of the few steady forces on a team that has been struggling to find its momentum. Since Tyreek Hill went down, Waddle has led the Dolphins in receiving in four of their last five games.

On the other hand, receiver George Pickens has turned into one of the quiet success stories of this Dallas season. When CeeDee Lamb missed time, Pickens stepped right into the WR1 role and looked the part. Through the season, he’s caught 43 passes and found the end zone six times.

He and Lamb could easily become one of the best WR pairings in football. QB Dak Prescott loves throwing to him, Lamb has openly talked about how well they complement each other, and Jerry Jones adores him, too.