An eighth Dolphins GM candidate has emerged. Beyond interim front office boss Champ Kelly and the sextet to receive interview slips Monday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Chad Alexander is also on the request list.
Alexander, the Chargers’ assistant GM since 2024, was on the GM radar last year. The Jaguars met with him about their vacancy, and the Raiders brought him in twice for meetings.
A Ravens exec for nearly 20 years, Alexander worked under Joe Douglas in New York from 2019-24. The Jets scrapped their Douglas plan months after losing Alexander to the Chargers. Alexander worked with Bolts GM Joe Hortiz for nearly 20 years in Baltimore and has been part of two playoff teams since relocating to Los Angeles.
The Dolphins have sent interview requests to the Packers’ Jon-Eric Sullivan, the Rams’ John McKay, the Eagles’ Alec Halaby and 49ers execs Josh Williams, Tariq Ahmad and R.J. Gillen. While Mike McDaniel worked with Ahmad, Gillen and Williams in San Francisco, he has no history with the other three execs summoned. Some of the candidates have not been informed if McDaniel is staying, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Sullivan is meeting with the team today, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.
It is worth wondering if all of the candidates are under this impression or if some are; it could just be a matter of only some of the candidates’ understanding of this situation are known at this juncture. It would be odd if the Dolphins hired an exec from the 49ers and fired McDaniel, but were they to reach outside that tree, a move with a fresh GM-HC start would make more sense. Signs have pointed to McDaniel staying for a bit, but if the Dolphins want to hire a GM not keen on working with a coach on the hot seat, it would make sense to reevaluate the situation.
The interviewees for this GM position will have some NFL bigwigs firing questions at them. Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Troy Aikman, recently named a consultant as the Dolphins conduct their first GM search since 2016, are on the committee set to meet with aspiring candidates, Jackson notes. Stephen Ross, team president Tom Garfinkel, senior VP of football administration Brandon Shore and Ross son-in-law Danny Sillman are meeting with the candidates. McDaniel is believed to have input, but it does not appear a lock he is staying for a fifth season.
It’s probably for the best if the Dolphins move on from McDaniel. They were the worst team in the league in the third quarter. Also 6 of their losses were by blowout.