Brandon Marshall is arguably the best player in UCF Knights history to ever play in the NFL. When he retired, Marshall recorded 970 receptions, 12,351 receiving yards and 83 touchdowns in his 13-year NFL career. Marshall made the Pro Bowl six times and was a First-Team All-Pro one time. Playing in Florida can be a dream for anyone who played for a college team in the state. In 2010, that chance happened for Marshall.
The Denver Broncos traded Marshall to the Miami Dolphins during the offseason. Going to Miami meant a fresh start for Marshall after his Broncos tenure ended rough. However, two seasons were enough for the Dolphins to move on from Marshall. Despite being a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and recording back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a Dolphin, Marshall wasn’t that productive due to Miami’s quarterback play with the names of Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, Chad Pennington and Matt Moore.
In the 2012 offseason, Marshall was traded by the Dolphins to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2012 and 2013 third-round draft pick. Being traded to Chicago offered another fresh start for Marshall and a chance to prove the Dolphins wrong. In the end, Marshall proved the Dolphins wrong for trading him away.
Marshall recorded back-to-back 100-catch seasons in his first two seasons as a Bear. In 2012, Marshall set career-highs for a single season with 118 receptions and 1,508 yards. While the Bears finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs, the Dolphins were 7-9 that season. Had Marshall been on the Dolphins in 2012 and 2013, he would’ve been a huge weapon for a young Ryan Tannehill to have. Instead, Tannehill never got a true number one receiver until 2015 when Jarvis Landry broke out. Speaking of 2015, that was when Marshall got huge revenge on the Dolphins.
After a disappointing 2014 season for Marshall and the Bears, both parties moved on from one another. In the offseason, Marshall joined the New York Jets. Marshall was eager to bounce back deeply in New York. In 2015, he did just that against a hated Dolphins rival.
Marshall had arguably the greatest season by a Jets wide receiver in 2015. Marshall recorded 109 receptions, 1,502 receiving yards and his 14 touchdowns were tied for the most in the league. While the Jets finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs, Marshall stuck it to the Dolphins twice that season.
Marshall first got to play against the Dolphins in Week 7 of the 2014 season as a Bear. In the game, Marshall struggled with recording 6 receptions for 48 yards. Marshall and the Bears fell 27-14 to the Dolphins that day in Chicago, but it was a new year and a new chance at beating the Dolphins for Marshall.
In Week 4 of the 2015 season, the first Jets-Dolphins game took place in London. Marshall balled out to help lead the Jets to a 27-14 win. Marshall recorded 7 receptions for 128 yards. In a twist, the Jets winning eventually led to the Dolphins firing head coach Joe Philbin, who was the Dolphins’ head coach at the time Marshall was still on the team.
In late-November, the two teams met again in New Jersey, and Marshall balled out again. Marshall recorded 9 receptions for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the Jets win 35-14. Marshall had his way against Dolphins Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes throughout 2015.
To make the trade look worse for Miami, the draft picks the Dolphins used in the Marshall trade were awful. The Dolphins used one of the Chicago draft picks to acquire a third-round draft pick and a sixth-round draft pick from the San Diego Chargers. In reality, all three players Miami drafted with the picks were busts.
Tight end Michael Egnew was selected by the Dolphins with the 78th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but he recorded just seven receptions in two seasons with the Dolphins. Wide receiver B.J. Cunningham was selected by the Dolphins with the 183rd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but never made the team. Cunningham played just two NFL games but never recorded a reception. Cornerback Will Davis was selected with the 93rd overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, but he played just two seasons as a Dolphin and recorded just 1 interception in 20 career NFL games.
Age started to hit Marshall after 2015, and he followed up with three struggling seasons. 2017 and 2018 were injury-prone seasons for Marshall as a member of the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks. However, even with three tough seasons to end his football career, Marshall being traded by the Dolphins will go down as one of the worst trades in the franchise’s history.
Marshall would’ve been a huge number one receiver to have for Tannehill to develop and win with in Miami, but it never quite happened. Three 100-catch seasons in four seasons isn’t an easy feat for any wide receiver to do, but Marshall was able to do it.
