The Miami Dolphins hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new general manager on January 9, 2026. It matters because Miami also fired head coach Mike McDaniel and now must decide what to do with Tua Tagovailoa.
Tua Tagovailoa Faces $56.4M Cap Heat as Miami Dolphins Hire Jon-Eric Sullivan and Troy Aikman’s Role Turns Heads in Front Office Reset (via Green Bay Packers)
Tua Tagovailoa Faces $56.4M Cap Heat as Miami Dolphins Hire Jon-Eric Sullivan and Troy Aikman’s Role Turns Heads in Front Office Reset (via Green Bay Packers)
The next few moves can change the whole direction of the team.
Stephen Ross leans on a Packers talent evaluator Jon-Eric Sullivan while Miami changes course fast
The Miami Dolphins did not just fill an office chair. They picked a long-time Green Bay personnel executive, and the timing lines up with a full reset across the building.
Owner Stephen M. Ross made the team’s feelings clear in the announcement. “I could not be more excited to welcome Jon-Eric Sullivan as our next general manager,” said Ross in a team statement. That tone tells fanspatience is running thin.
The awkward part is how quickly the power map changed. McDaniel had recently said he expected to be involved in the GM process, then he was fired after the 7-10 finish. That whiplash is hard to miss.
Another detail raised eyebrows around the league. Reutersreported Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman consulted during the search, and he backed Sullivan strongly. Big names in the room can mean big influence.
Sullivan also arrives with deep Packers roots. He started with Green Bay in 2003 and later became vice president of player personnel in 2022. Miami is buying the long climb, not a quick headline.
Tua Tagovailoa’s contract turns this hire into a pressure cooker
The controversial part is the quarterback math sitting on Sullivan’s desk. Reuters pegged Tagovailoa’s 2026 cap hit at $56.4 million. That number can squeeze every other plan.
The play on the field added fuel to the already tense atmosphere. Tagovailoa threw for 2,660 yards and also finished with 15 interceptions in 2025, per an AP story carried by NBC 6 South Florida. That is not the line fans want with a pricey roster.
Moving on is not clean either. Reuters reported a $99.2 million dead cap hit if Miami cuts him before June 1. Even the toughest GM has to respect that trapdoor.
Ross had already set the tone when Chris Grier left in October. “Change could not wait,” Ross said then, while pushing for better results. Sullivan now owns that same urgency.
Sullivan sounded ready for the weight. “We will compete no matter the circumstances,” said Sullivan in a statement, while aiming at “division championships and Super Bowls.” The words are bold, and the cap sheet is louder.
Next comes Miami’s head coach hire. Then the Tua contract call, plus free agency moves that tell fans what football is coming.