The Dolphins announced an agreement with Jon-Eric Sullivan to be their new General Manager on Friday.
Sullivan was the vice president of player personnel for the Packers and has spent the last 22 years in the Green Bay organization. He served in the vice president role for his final four years with the team.
“I could not be more excited to welcome Jon-Eric Sullivan as our next general manager. Jon-Eric brings a clear vision for how to build and run a football team, founded upon his own experience at a winning organization,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “As we went through our search process, it became undeniable the respect Jon-Eric has across the league as a talent evaluator, leader and man of integrity. We had an extremely talented group of candidates, and Jon-Eric’s ability to stand out so clearly speaks to how impressive he is — not only for his experience, but also his depth of knowledge, his detail-oriented approach and his passion. I believe we found the best of the best in Jon-Eric, and I’m looking forward to working with him as he leads us into a new era of Dolphins football.”
In his own statement, Sullivan said that “our team building process will be intentional, disciplined and sound” and stressed collaboration as an important factor. The Dolphins’ next hire will be their next head coach and that person will join Sullivan in setting the direction for the franchise.
Mike McDaniel is beginning to line up interviews as he looks for his next stop.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, the Titans will interview McDaniel for their head coaching vacancy next Wednesday.
McDaniel was just fired by the Dolphins on Thursday after going 35-33 in the regular season from 2022-2025. He was also 0-2 in the postseason.
The Browns are also reportedly interested in speaking with McDaniel about their head coaching vacancy.
Tennessee has cast a wide net when it comes to candidates, with interviews scheduled with recently fired head coaches Kevin Stefanski and Raheem Morris as well as Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Among several others, the club has also put in a request to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who previously served as Tennessee’s OC under former head coach Mike Vrabel.
The Dolphins have found their new General Manager.
According to multiple reports, the Dolphins will hire Jon-Eric Sullivan to fill the role. Sullivan was one of four finalists for the job and had his second interview with the team on Thursday.
Sullivan has worked for the Packers since 2004 in a variety of scouting and personnel roles. He spent the last four seasons as the team’s vice president of player personnel.
The first big task that Sullivan will be involved with in his new job will be the selection of the team’s next head coach. The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel on Thursday, so Sullivan and the eventual hire will both be in their first season with the Dolphins in 2026.
This is the business we’ve chosen.
That reality is crystal clear for NFL head coaches in the early days of every New Year. The vast majority of hired coaches inevitably become fired coaches. Few leave on their own terms, without a pink slip, a push, or a nudge.
They understand it. And they’re compensated accordingly, often with millions still owed to them after they turn in their whistles.
Five days ago, there were two consensus vacancies looming for 2026, on top of the two that already existed. Starting on Sunday night, two became three (Falcons). On Monday, three became six (Raiders, Browns, Cardinals). On Tuesday, six became seven (Ravens). On Thursday, seven became eight (Dolphins).
And that may not be the end of it. Losses by the Packers or the Bills this weekend could (key word: could) spark even more changes. Also, Mike Tomlin could still decide to walk away from the Steelers whenever his latest playoff run ends.
It’s just the way it is. Owners feel compelled to do something to make things better, or at least to make it look like they’re trying. It’s a play to renew season tickets. To create hope, plausible or otherwise, for a more viable future that will keep fans engaged with their wallets, their time, their loyalty.
Adding to the willingness to fire a coach is the fact that, every year, one or more teams with new coaches immediately thrive. This weekend, two of the 12 wild-card coaches will be in their first seasons on the job. Five of the 12 are in their first two years on the job.
Quick fixes are possible. For plenty of teams, however, hiring a new coach won’t fix anything. The dysfunction flows from the top. The owner who hired the coach who was just fired will now have to hire another one. Who will eventually be fired.
Bad teams stay bad for a reason. And most of the jobs that are currently open are open because the organization can’t emerge from a cycle of dysfunction.
Except in Cleveland. Where the team is definitely not dysfunctional. Because the owner says so, despite a mountain of evidence otherwise.
It likely won’t take Mike McDaniel long to find a new job.
An obvious offensive coordinator candidate for any team that needs one, McDaniel has already fielded some interest.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Lions have reached out to McDaniel about potentially becoming the club’s OC.
Detroit fired offensive coordinator John Morton earlier this week after the club missed the postseason. Head coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play-calling midway through the season, but the Lions were not as cohesive of an offensive unit throughout the year as they had been with now-Bears head coach Ben Johnson calling the plays.
Washington is another team with an offensive coordinator vacancy that is likely to reach out to McDaniel, given that McDaniel coached under Dan Quinn when he was head coach of the Falcons.
But there could be another role for McDaniel — head coach. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported earlier on Thursday that the Browns have interest in speaking with McDaniel about their vacancy.
Either way, it appears McDaniel will have some choices after he was fired by Miami on Thursday.
