A Franchise Reset: Dolphins Football Enters a New Era in 2026
The Miami Dolphins have officially begun rebuilding. The Dolphins first indicated their intent to rebuild when they agreed to part ways with general manager Chris Grier in October 2025. Then, in January, the Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel. With the brains of the Tua Tagovailoa era out of jobs, Miami made it clear that a restructure was fast approaching. The Dolphins got to work, landing both a head coach and a general manager before the end of January. Shortly after, the team began a fire sale. Now, Miami is staring down one of the league's largest dead-cap hits and finds itself strapped for talent. What’s the next two years look like for the Dolphins?
The New Front Office
The first order of business for the Miami brass was to find a new general manager and head coach. The NFL experienced an extremely high turnover rate in 2025, with 10 head coaching positions opening up. The race to land a head coach was on. Almost immediately after the regular season, the Dolphins hired Jon-Eric Sullivan on January 9th. The Green Bay Packers hired Sullivan in 2004, where he has spent his career. He climbed his way up the ranks, climbing to vice president of player personnel in 2022. Sullivan had become an active voice in the organization, serving as the general manager's right-hand man. Following the 2025 season, teams highly targeted him for general manager positions. Multiple organizations interviewed Sullivan before agreeing to terms with Miami.
The Dolphins didn’t waste much time after hiring their new general manager. Just 10 days later, on January 19th, they signed their new head coach. The Dolphins and Packers’ defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley agreed to a five-year contract. Hafley joins Sullivan in taking their talents to South Beach. The former Packers coach began his coaching career in 2001 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. From there, Hafley worked his way through college football before landing an assistant position with the Buccaneers in 2012. In 2019, he found himself back in college football, taking the co-defensive coordinator position at Ohio State. The now storied coach got his first head coaching gig following the 2019 season with Boston College. Hafley spent three years with BC, finishing with a 22-26 record and three bowl game appearances. Frustrated with the state of college football, he returned to the NFL with the Packers in 2024. The Packers added an immediate difference-maker in Micah Parsons, giving Hafley a dangerous defense to succeed with. Despite a strong start, injuries derailed the Packers' season.
With their two biggest needs filled, it was time to get to work on the roster. The Dolphins were facing a potential cap disaster looming in the background. Hard questions immediately surfaced. Miami had to decide which direction to head. The answer was always obvious, though. The current roster was not assembled by the new regime, leaving the most viable option as a rebuild.
The Elephant in the Room
The Dolphins had a massive elephant in the room to begin their offseason work. Do they keep Tua, or eat his enormous $99 million dead cap hit? Before answering the question, Miami began to make moves to free up cap space for 2026. Their first significant move was to cut Tyreek Hill on February 16th, creating $22 million in cap space. Hill was a crucial piece of the Dolphins’ offense, but after a potential career-altering knee injury ended his 2025 season, his future was uncertain. Miami didn’t stop there, also cutting long-time fullback Alec Ingold, fellow receiver Nick Westbrook, and kicker Jason Sanders. These three moves create around eight million in cap space. NFL media reported that Bradley Chubb was slated to become a cap casualty by the Dolphins. Miami later confirmed that Chubb was designated for a post-June 1st release, allowing Miami to spread out his dead cap hit across two seasons. At the beginning of free agency, the Dolphins addressed the elephant in the room.
The Future
Malik Willis had become a big name in the 2026 free agent market. Willis revitalized his career in 2025 as the Packers' backup quarterback. Seizing every opportunity, the new Miami staff wanted their guy from Green Bay. Willis and the Dolphins agreed to a three-year contract worth $67.5 million, with $22.5 million at signing and $45 million in guaranteed money. With the addition of Willis, the front office has made its direction clear. On March 11th, Miami designated Tua for a post-June 1st cut, meaning they would eat the $99 million cap hit over the next two seasons.
With their direction chosen, the front office continued to make moves. Also, on March 11th, Miami traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a 2026 seventh-round pick. Six days later, on March 17th, the Dolphins moved again, trading franchise receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos for a 2026 first-, third-, and fourth-round draft pick. With Miami’s biggest names now on different teams, the renovation has begun.
The next few years are not looking great for Miami. Unfortunately, the Dolphins' all-in moves failed. The previous era of Miami was marked by drama between coach and player and major injuries on both sides of the ball. All is not lost, though. The Dolphins have made it clear that star running back De’Von Achane is untouchable. Keeping their most electric player on the offense is positive for a team now devoid of talent. Miami also enters the 2026 NFL Draft with two first-round picks: the 11th and the 30th selections. The Dolphins' future will depend on how well the team drafts and develops new talent under the new front office. The results of this process will directly impact on their competitiveness and the job security of the new general manager.
