Blame it on Tom Brady.
Actually, blame it on Fox and the NFL for allowing Tom Brady to wear two hats that shouldn’t fit on one head.
With neither Fox or the NFL willing to say “no” to Brady’s dual role as lead NFL game analyst and a minority Raiders owners, others are going to try to double dip.
Last week, it was ESPN’s Troy Aikman, whose side hustle as a consultant for the Dolphins drew barely a holiday-week shrug. Now, CBS’s Matt Ryan reportedly hopes to keep his seat at the Sunday pregame desk while serving as the Falcons’ eventual president of football operations.
If Brady can do it, why can’t Aikman? If Aikman can’t do it, why can’t Ryan?
While folks seem to be noticing — and criticizing — the undeniable conflict of interest more fervently than they did a year ago, when many were acting like it was no big deal for Brady and a few were straining to play the “whatabout” game as to those who dared to point out the obvious conflict between the two functions, it’s too late to do anything about it.
Fox didn’t say no to Brady. ESPN didn’t say no to Aikman. CBS might not say no to Ryan.
So do your thing. Get paid. Ignore the ethical dilemma. Do what you want. When you want. How you want.
The question isn’t whether it will end. The question is which broadcaster will do it next?
Maybe I should quit talking about it and start looking for a way to do it myself.
Tua Tagovailoa said Monday that a fresh start elsewhere would be “dope.” The Dolphins, though, have not decided on the quarterback’s future.
Mike McDaniel said he will meet with Tagovailoa at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
The coach said he “would not close the door” on Tagovailoa’s return.
“First things first, I don’t think anybody understands what it would be like to be through the wringer like he has,” McDaniel said, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. “He’ll have to work to get back to the results that we’re used to seeing.”
The Dolphins benched Tagovailoa after a Week 15 loss, with rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers starting the final two games. Tagovailoa’s 1,660 passing yards were his fewest since 2021 and his 15 interceptions were a career high.
Ewers will be part of the competition for the job in 2026. It remains to be seen whether Tagovailoa will be, though it seems likely the Dolphins will part ways.
He is owed $54 million guaranteed in 2026. The Dolphins could release him with a post-June 1 designation at the start of the new league year to split his $99.2 million cap charge over two years.
“In 2026, I think there will be competition for our starting quarterback,” McDaniel said. “What that is and how it looks, that remains to be seen. It’s the most important position on the football field.”
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said on Sunday that he was operating as if he will remain in the job for the 2026 season and nothing changed ahead of his Monday press conference.
McDaniel said that his understanding is that he is the team’s coach “until told otherwise” and there was nothing in his comments over the course of the session to suggest any uncertainty about his job security. McDaniel said that he’s spending all of his time taking a look at everything that contributed to a season he termed a “failure.”
One part of that effort will be playing a role in the hiring process of the team’s next General Manager. McDaniel stressed that it is not his decision to make and is only going to “aid and assist” in the process.
If McDaniel’s going to be staying, his role in the search is going to be a bit bigger than that because any G.M. will need to be aligned with him on the overall direction of the franchise. A quarterback decision will be front and center in that alignment and the Dolphins have gotten the ball rolling on finding the other key player in that equation.
The Dolphins’ early list of General Manager candidates has a 49ers tinge to it.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the team has requested an interview with 49ers assistant G.M. RJ Gillen. The Dolphins have also requested interviews with 49ers vice president of player personnel Tariq Ahmad and director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.
Gillen is in his first year in his current role. He spent two seasons as their director of player personnel and three seasons as their director of pro personnel. He has been with the 49ers for 11 seasons overall.
The Dolphins have also requested interviews with Eagles assistant G.M. Alec Halaby, Rams assistant G.M. John McKay, and Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan.
The Falcons have put in a pair of interview requests for their head coaching vacancy.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Atlanta would like to interview Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver for the role.
Kubiak is available to interview this week because Seattle has the NFC’s first-round bye as the No. 1 seed.
In his first season with the Seahawks, Kubiak called plays for the unit that finished No. 3 in points and No. 8 in total yards. Quarterback Sam Darnold had another strong season, completing 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as Seattle finished 14-3.
Kubiak — the son of former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak — previously was the Saints offensive coordinator in 2024 and the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023. He’s also spent two different stints with the Broncos and was with the Vikings from 2019-2021.
Weaver is also available to interview now that the Dolphins’ season is over. He was hired as the club’s defensive coordinator in 2024 after spending three seasons with the Ravens as defensive line coach. He’s also spent time with the Texans, Browns, Bills, and Jets as a coach following a playing career that went from 2002-2008 with Baltimore and Houston.
The Dolphins finished the 2025 season No. 22 in yards allowed and No. 24 in points allowed.
