The Miami Dolphins have traded Mike Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings

In a somewhat surprising move, the Miami Dolphins have traded Mike Wallace to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick. The Dolphins will also send a seventh round pick to the Vikings. This is according to Adam Schefter. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald had broken the story first.

In Week 17 of the 2014 season, there were conflicting reports on whether or not Wallace benched himself, the coaches benched him or a combination of both. Nonetheless, it set the stage for a dramatic off-season and now the team has cut the cord with the wide receiver. 

Wallace's salary for 2015 would've cost $12.1 million against the cap but now, after being traded, it will only count $6.6 million dollars. The Dolphins will free up $5.5 million dollars. Earlier this week, Wallace had said that he would be open to re-structuring his contract for a small amount but it appears the Dolphins didn't want to go down that road. In 2013, Wallace signed a $60 million dollar contract with $27 million dollars guaranteed. He was due a $3 million dollar roster bonus on March 15 but of course, that won't happen with the Dolphins.

Wallace, Ryan Tannehill and the team have said all the right things since the end of the season but it was clear that there was tension between all the parties involved. Instead of trying to work things out and play nice, the Dolphins decided it wasn't worth the effort nor the time.

The Dolphins wide receiver corps now consists of the newly acquired Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews and Matt Hazel. Add in tight ends Jordan Cameron along with Dion Sims and you have a dangerous offense. If the Dolphins re-sign Charles Clay, all bets are off. One thing is for sure - this is going to be an exciting season for the Dolphins. 

This story was written by Matthew Cannata. Follow him on Twitter: @PhinManiacs