Jay Ajayi played nearly half of this season with the Miami Dolphins, yet he ended up earning a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Welcome to the Miami Sports Weekly Rundown, I'm David Baumann.
Although Ajayi was bruised and battered heading into the Super Bowl (ankle), he still managed to rush nine times for 57 yards (6.3 yards per carry), helping the Eagles defeat the New England Patriots 41-33.
"We're the best team in the world, and it showed," Ajayi told the Daily Mail. "We're Super Bowl Champions."
That is NOW, this was then...
Back in late October, Miami traded Ajayi to Philadelphia for a 4th-round pick in the coming NFL Draft.
I said it then, and I'll say it again... It was such a comically bad trade on the part of the Dolphins.
Even if he was "disgruntled," as some have anonymously suggested -- you, as a staff and a front office, figure out a way to make it work.
You can't simply give away a very productive 24-year-old running back.
But the Dolphins did just that.
Let's not forget, Ajayi had rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016 for Miami, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
But he was averaging just 3.9 yards per carry with no touchdowns through the first seven games of this season when Miami hauled him off for a bag of peanuts in return.
Way too soon to give up on him.
Bad trade for Miami.
But it was a great trade for Philadelphia.
And it was a great trade for Ajayi.
He told the Mirror, "As soon as I got there I couldn’t even walk around town without getting stopped and noticed and everyone wishing my luck. That was a big difference for me coming from where I came from. I got recognized in Miami, but it is on another level in Philadelphia.”
Miami Sports Weekly Rundown: Philadelphia Eagles Win The Super Bowl
Ajayi immediately made an impact for the Eagles.
In fact, he averaged a whopping 5.8 yards per carry in the final 10 games of the regular season for the Eagles (70 carries, 408 yards).
And in the postseason, Ajayi carried an additional 42 times for 184 yards and added six receptions for 70 yards.
He played a solid role in the Eagles title run.
In the process, he became the fifth British-born player to ever win a Super Bowl.
After the game he told the Daily Mail, "It’s rare to be in positions like this, coming from London, getting to the States and even being a Super Bowl champion. It’s rare. So I’m thankful to my upbringing, I’m thankful everything that has happened in my life that’s brought me to this point."
Yep, he should definitely be thankful the Dolphins traded him.
David Baumann is a Sports Columnist for 305area.com and can be heard Tuesdays on EK Sports, 96.9 The Game Orlando (and anywhere on iHeartRadio).
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