Dolphins have their next GM: It's Jon-Eric Sullivan of the Packers

The Miami Dolphins’ next general manager is Jon-Eric Sullivan of the Green Bay Packers.

The Dolphins went through a quick search to find the franchise’s next GM. On Friday the team was working to finalize a deal with Sullivan, according to a league source, five days after he and a slew of others were originally revealed as the candidates for the job in charge of roster and personnel decisions in Miami.

Sullivan, who is currently serving as Packers’ vice president of player personnel, beat out Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly, the Los Angeles Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander and San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.

Sullivan, 50, considered one of the rising front-office minds in the NFL, has held his current title in Green Bay since 2022. He has been with the franchise for more than 20 years across different GMs, from Mike Sherman to Ted Thompson and, since 2018, Brian Gutenkunst.

From 2018 through 2021, he was co-director of player personnel. Before that, he covered the Southeast and Central Plains regions over eight years as a scout for the Packers. He started out as a scouting intern in Green Bay in 2003.

It was believed that Miami would prioritize a candidate with a strong scouting background.

Sullivan is the son of Jerry Sullivan, the longtime NFL and college coach of more than 40 years, including being Dolphins wide receivers coach in 2004.

Interviewing remotely earlier in the week, Sullivan then became one of four finalists revealed Wednesday night. He reportedly held his in-person, second interview for the job Thursday before the decision came down Friday morning.

The Dolphins’ GM search team included owner Steve Ross, his son-in-law Daniel Silman, president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, senior VP of football and business administration Brandon Shore and Hall of Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino and Troy Aikman. Aikman was brought on to add outside influence to the group, and he reportedly was a big proponent of Sullivan, according to The Athletic.

The Dolphins’ hire succeeds ex-GM Chris Grier, who held the role since 2016 and was fired Oct. 31 in the middle of a disappointing Dolphins season. Miami then put Kelly into the interim position.

It’s been a busy week for the Dolphins, since the end of the season last Sunday in New England.

Miami fired its coach, Mike McDaniel, on Thursday, as it was prioritizing its ongoing GM search.

With Sullivan in place to handle that job, the Dolphins can now involve him in the search for the franchise’s next coach.

As of Thursday, the Dolphins had not yet contacted former Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, although the team is being linked to him in the media — and maybe rightfully so, given his connection with Ross. However, Alexander would’ve been the GM hire to most closely align Miami to Harbaugh. Alexander was with the Ravens for much of Harbaugh’s tenure there.

A hot coaching candidate now becomes Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who has already been requested for interviews with the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.

Former Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile was also in the same building as Sullivan with the 2024 Packers before standing out as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator this season. But a number of wide-ranging candidates are expected to surface in the coming days and weeks.

Along with the other three GM finalists, Sullivan rose to the top among a group of candidates that also included the San Francisco 49ers’ assistant GM RJ Gillen and vice president of player personnel Tariq Ahmad, Philadelphia Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby and Los Angeles Rams assistant GM John McKay.

In Miami, Sullivan will be tasked with managing a roster that is burdened by the four-year, $212.4 million contract extension granted to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in 2024 by the Grier-McDaniel regime.

With Tagovailoa benched late in the past season in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers, it’s likely Sullivan first tries to trade Tagovailoa to give him a fresh start elsewhere, but may have to settle on outright releasing him. That would cost the Dolphins either $99.2 million or $67.4 million in dead cap, depending on whether they designate him as a pre- or post-June 1 cut.

Once that’s out of the way, Miami could be in an appealing situation down the road, but it may take a rebuild and some lean seasons early in Sullivan’s tenure. And the Dolphins must now be considered a team to watch in the free agency of Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis, who is expected to demand fringe-starter money on the market.

He does inherit potential building blocks for the future already on the roster, like running back De’Von Achane, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, left tackle Patrick Paul, center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. But some of those players, along with other standout veterans, could be viewed by him as trade pieces to build up draft capital.

Sullivan’s Packers are in the playoffs, with the team facing their rival Chicago Bears on Saturday night in the NFC’s wild-card round. It’s unclear what the schedule for transition is for him to begin his duties with the Dolphins.