Dolphins running back De’Von Achane won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
When speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Miami general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan insisted that Achane is “not available” for trade, adding that the team is trying to extend the star.
“He’s not available for trade,” Sullivan told reporters, according to ESPN. “Things are going good — we’ve had some positive conversations over the past couple days, trending in the right direction. He’s obviously very important to what we’re doing … We’ll get to where we need to be, one way or another.”
The Dolphins have been adamant about extending Achane, whom they drafted in the third round of the 2023 draft, with Sullivan calling it a “priority” at the NFL’s annual meeting in March.
Despite not being present at the team’s voluntary offseason workouts last week, Achane was seen at Miami’s training facility in what is believed to be a positive sign that the two parties continue to work out an extension, ESPN reported.
“He’s obviously very important to what we’re doing,” Sullivan added. “It’s all part of it. It’s part of professional sports. We’ll get where we need to be, one way or the other, but yeah, things are trending in the right direction.”
Achane had a breakout season in Miami last year, racking up a career-high 1,350 rushing yards with eight touchdowns through 16 games, earning him his first Pro Bowl appearance.
With young star running backs Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions) and Bijan Robinson (Falcons) also being eligible for extensions, the Dolphins would likely prefer to lock up Achane before the others sign with their respective teams.
Sullivan, however, told reporters in March that all of the running backs’ situations are unique.
“I think anytime you’re extending a player, you’d like to get ahead of the market,” he said. “That’s fairly common sense, but Achane is Achane. Those guys are those guys. Every deal’s different. Every player’s different. There are different factors that go into every deal.
“We’re excited about moving forward with Achane and getting him done and having him be a huge part of what we’re doing.”
