Reminded earlier this week that, under the trade proposal his team had made for Ricky Williams, the Dolphins might have to surrender a second No. 1 draft choice if The Dreadlocked One rushed for 1,500 yards in 2002, Miami coach Dave Wannstedt quickly compared that lofty price tag against his own job security and smiled.

"Yeah, but if he rushes for 1,500 yards," Wannstedt said, "I'll be getting another contract extension next year."

Our advice after the long-anticipated swap between the Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints was finally consummated on Friday morning: Tell the wife to go out and splurge a little, Wanny, since grateful owner Wayne Huizenga will approach you pen-in-hand following what now should be a very successful 2002 campaign.

	Ricky Williams rushed for 1,245 yards and six touchdowns last season.

The Dolphins will send first- and fourth-round draft choices to the Saints for Williams and a fourth-round selection in this year's draft. The Saints also get a third-round choice in the 2003 lottery that will escalate to a second-rounder if Williams rushes for 1,200 yards or more this season and a first-rounder if he goes over the 1,500-yard mark.

A steep dowry, indeed, but one Miami feels was appropriate for a player who figures now to catapult the franchise to the next level. And hardly, of course, close to what the Saints forfeited in 1999 to obtain the draft rights to the former Heisman Trophy winner.

For now, call it a good trade for both sides, with the two organizations thrilled by what they reaped after weeks of discussions. But, just a hunch here, look for Miami to eventually get the better of the trade when it is reviewed three or four years from now.

Williams is a proven commodity, even if he opts to conduct interviews in South Florida with his helmet on and through a face mask, and the Saints will have to transform those draft choices into viable and contributing players. Since the draft is an even more inexact science for the Saints than most other teams, and with nary an alchemist in the personnel department, that's a task they may not be able to accomplish.

His high-maintenance persona aside, Williams ought to be pretty happy in Miami, where he will likely get a new contract in time and certainly will log plenty of carries. And let's face it, when he strolls down the streets of South Beach with his dreadlocks flapping in the breeze, few heads will turn in recognition.

In dealing Williams after three seasons, the New Orleans brain trust of general manager Randy Mueller and coach Jim Haslett demonstrated that, in their minds, there was at least one person actually too weird to fit in with the motley crew that roams Bourbon Street. They also displayed great faith in the ability of second-year tailback Deuce McAllister, their first-round choice in the 2001 draft, to move seamlessly into the starting lineup.

Uh, yeah, that's the same Deuce McAllister who suffered so many injuries during his college career at Mississippi that he almost single-handedly forced spiraling insurance premiums. The same Deuce McAllister who at least lived up to the second half of the "Ol' Miss" nickname by being absent from the lineup much of the time. Yep, the Deuce McAllister who carried all of 16 times during his 2001 rookie campaign.

Haslett is fond of pointing out that Williams never had a touchdown run of more than 26 yards in his three seasons with the Saints and that McAllister romped 56 yards for a score last year. Take away his one moment of rookie glory, though, and McAllister averaged an anemic 2.3 yards on his other 15 rushing attempts. For the record, Williams averaged 3.8 yards per attempt in his three seasons, and more than 1,000 yards a year.

Word is that the Saints feel McAllister can be the equal of Jacksonville tailback Fred Taylor. If that's the case, New Orleans better have its training staff order up an extra whirlpool, since Deuce is going to spend more time treading water than trampling on linebackers.

Funny that Wannstedt would equate Williams to a potential contract extension, too, since Mueller and Haslett are still waiting for new deals. Saints owner Tom Benson can't attach culpability for the failed Ricky Williams experiment to his current football people, since it was former general manager Bill Kuharich and ex-coach Mike Ditka who surrendered eight choices in the 1999 and 2000 drafts to get him, but his departure is on their watch.

The bottom line is: New Orleans officials have much for which to atone after a disastrous 2001 campaign in which the club lost its final four games by an average of 40 points, and now they must do so without their best player. They have to make the draft choices gleaned from this deal pay off handsomely, and they have to make good decisions, which hasn't always been the case.

Exhibit A: People from all over the league warned Mueller last spring about Albert Connell, but the Saints still signed the unrestricted free agent wide receiver even though several New Orleans front office types wanted nothing to do with him. Connell is charged with stealing money from the pockets of teammates. Last time we checked, Williams had been nabbed for driving 126 mph in his sports car but hadn't been accused of theft.

Football folks always talk about production, and despite his eccentricities, Williams was a back capable of beating on defenders and controlling the tempo of a game. Now he'll get to do those things while dressed in teal, which might soon become his favorite color, especially if Miami throws some green at him with a new contract.

Williams will get the ball a lot in Miami, particularly now that Norv Turner is the offensive coordinator, and brings a power game to South Florida. For all his brilliance as a passing game guru, what Turner does best is bludgeon defenses with the running game. He loves to get a lead and then milk it with whoever is currently filling the role of human wrecking ball.

For a coach like Wannstedt, who desperately wants to play the muscle game, Williams is a big catch. For a franchise that was relegated to having to play used-up Lamar Smith at tailback, the upgrade to Williams is one that should translate into more playoff victories, and a safety net for quarterback Jay Fiedler.

At first blush, the trade looks like a wash, but don't try convincing Wannstedt of that. His team just got exponentially better and he will end up a wealthier man as a result of what occurred Friday morning.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.