DAVIE, Fla. (April 3, 2007) -- Olindo Mare was traded by the Miami Dolphins to the New Orleans Saints, ending the kicker's weeks of waiting for a change of scenery.
The Dolphins are getting the Saints' sixth-round pick, No. 199 overall, in this month's draft.
"We had paid Olindo some money so we hoped to get value for him," Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller said. "I think it's good for everybody because I think this was one of the places Olindo wanted to go and he's obviously going to kick for a really good team."
Moving Mare seemed inevitable when the Dolphins signed former New York Giants kicker Jay Feely as a free agent earlier this offseason. But Mare remained on Miami's roster for weeks, with the team unwilling to immediately cut him and unable to work out a deal with another team until now.
Mare was the Dolphins' kicker since 1997 and was 26 for 36 on field goals last season, with five of those 10 misses on attempts of 50 yards or longer.
"We just elected to take a different route," Mueller said. "No offense, nothing, nothing bad about Olindo. We all like him and respect him. ... Change is good sometimes."
With this deal, Miami now has another sixth-round pick to replace the one it lost when a deal that would have sent Dan Wilkinson to Denver fell apart last week. The Broncos were willing to part with a sixth-rounder for Wilkinson, who chose not to report to Denver.
New Orleans' kicker last season was John Carney, who turns 43 later this month. Carney was 23 of 25 last season, including one from 51 yards.
