After more than two decades with the Dolphins, general manager Chris Grier is out. The sides are mutually parting ways, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Grier had been in place as Miami’s GM since 2016 but had only held full autonomy since 2019. Both he and Mike McDaniel were believed to be on shaky ground this season, and a 2-7 start will lead the veteran front office boss out of the picture. The Dolphins are retaining McDaniel through season’s end, according to Schefter.
[RELATED: Fallout From Dolphins’ Grier-McDaniel Split]
“This morning, I made the decision along with general manager Chris Grier to mutually part ways. I have incredible respect for Chris and his family, and I want to thank him for his many contributions to the Miami Dolphins over the past 26 years,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said.
“As I assessed the state of the team and in my discussions with Chris, it became clear to both of us that change could not wait. We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now.”
Former Raiders interim GM Champ Kelly is back in that role, per Schefter. The Dolphins installing Kelly as their interim FO boss comes at a key point. He will be at the wheel as the Dolphins consider selling key pieces from their struggling team. Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are known trade candidates, and it is worth wondering if this shakeup will lead to the Dolphins listening on Jaylen Waddle — something they have not been doing thus far ahead of the Tuesday deadline.
The Dolphins had been viewed as reluctant to sell thus far, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating the team had brushed off trade calls in hopes of a turnaround. With Grier and McDaniel clinging to their jobs ahead of Week 9, the Dolphins stood in a curious position at the deadline. With decision-makers having no incentive to make the team worse, the team had held off. It can be expected, with Kelly having far looser ties to the roster, the Dolphins will be more open for business now.
Grier hired McDaniel in 2022, doing so after the Dolphins chose their GM over HC Brian Flores — in a firing that preceded a highly publicized lawsuit from the three-year Miami sideline boss. But the duo was not viewed as a package deal heading into this season. Grier had made a host of shaky contract decisions in recent years, and while McDaniel is also on the hot seat, the HC will survive for the time being.
The 55-year-old exec had been with the Dolphins since 2000, having come up through the scouting ranks. The Dolphins hired Grier after a six-year tenure with the Patriots. In 2016, the team promoted him to the GM level. But Mike Tannenbaum still held the hammer as executive VP. That changed after the 2018 season, as Grier’s promotion keyed Tannenbaum’s exit.
A radical rebuild — one that came with tanking allegations from Flores against Ross — commenced that year, with the Dolphins trading Ryan Tannehill, Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Grier’s overhaul did generate some success, but the next phase of that rebuild began to move the roster to its present state. With Ross’ statement making it rather clear Grier would have preferred to remain in his position, it is worth reexamining how this operation moved into this place.
While 2020 No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa — chosen one spot ahead of Justin Herbert — has been productive in stretches, the team has not seen its $53.1MM-per-year extension for the southpaw quarterback pay off. Grier’s 2022 trade for Bradley Chubb — the rare deadline move to involve a first-round pick changing hands — also preceded an injury that wiped out the standout edge rusher’s 2024 season. The team also did not see too much from the Jalen Ramsey trade, and Grier’s proceedings with Ramsey highlighted an interesting roster-building trend.
After rewarding Xavien Howard with an extension in his first offseason with full roster control, Grier gave into the Pro Bowl cornerback’s demands. Howard received a guarantee bump in 2021 and then another extension in 2022, despite years remaining on his previous accord. That created a lofty dead money bill when the Dolphins cut Howard in 2024. Miami is still on the hook for nearly $16MM in Howard dead cap this year, and the team’s decision to operate similarly with Ramsey will create notable 2026 dead money.
A day after the Broncos reset the cornerback market with Patrick Surtain‘s extension, the Dolphins paid Ramsey (three years, $72MM). Like Howard, Ramsey had more than a year left on his previous deal. Ramsey’s Rams-designed extension ran through 2025, but Grier — who had already approved a guarantee influx upon trading for Ramsey in 2023 — authorized another early extension. That complicated the June 2025 trade. Grier proceeded down this path again with Tyreek Hill, whose gripes about a new deal — as the receiver market exploded again in 2024 — led to a $54MM guarantee package in summer 2024. Grier also extended Zach Sieler with more than a year left on his contract this summer.
The Dolphins are expected to release Hill in 2026. The polarizing wide receiver stamped his Hall of Fame credentials in Miami, rewarding Grier for surrendering a five-pick package — including a first-rounder — in 2022. But Hill did not play well after the GM paid him again in 2024. The severe knee injury Hill suffered this season has his career at a crossroads. Ramsey counts more than $35MM in dead money between 2025 and ’26, with the extension he signed inflating that total. Hill’s release will tag the Dolphins with $28.25MM — a figure that could be spread through 2027 via a post-June 1 designation.
Grier did well to fleece the 49ers for the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, as San Francisco surrendered two first-rounders and a third to move up nine spots for Trey Lance. The Dolphins used one of the picks to climb up for Waddle in 2021. They included the other in the Hill trade. Hill’s arrival made a significant impact on Tagovailoa’s career, as the embattled QB led the NFL in yards per attempt in 2022 and in passing yards in 2023. But the southpaw’s concussion issues hindered him in 2022 and ’24. Through nine games in 2025, Tua sits 25th in QBR.
McDaniel oversaw the Dolphins’ first instance of back-to-back playoff berths since the Dave Wannstedt era, coaching the team to the postseason in 2022 and ’23. While the Dolphins’ playoff win drought leads the NFL at 24 seasons, McDaniel and Hill did plenty to coax Tagovailoa’s turnaround. The Dolphins rewarded the HC with an extension — one that runs through 2028 — before the ’24 season. Hill encountered a wrist injury before the 2024 season, and Tagovailoa went down with another concussion in Week 2. That harpooned the Dolphins’ offense, which dropped from second in scoring offense in 2023 to 22nd in ’24.
After Ramsey had taken issue with McDaniel’s leadership style, reports pointed to a lack of accountability under he and Grier. Hill famously refusing to return to action in Week 18 of last season became the image associated with these assertions, and while McDaniel said he spoke with the mercurial pass catcher about that act, Hill remained in place as Miami’s WR1 — after walking back his trade desire — entering this season. Tagovailoa also recently apologized for criticizing teammates for missing meetings or showing up late to them, further leading to the perception a lack of institutional control exists under McDaniel.
The Dolphins went 8-9 last season under McDaniel, whose performance through three seasons had been the best of any Miami HC since Wannstedt more than 20 years ago. His 2-7 start this season, however, certainly points to a firing at the campaign’s conclusion — or sooner.
It will be interesting to see if Ross gives McDaniel a chance to succeed without Grier, as his offensive acumen became clear — even with the team developing an earned frontrunner reputation, with late-season swoons taking place in 2022 and ’23 — during this tenure. McDaniel would surely be a coveted OC if the Dolphins move on following this season. Considering a new GM will be en route by then, McDaniel certainly faces an uphill battle to coach a fifth season in Miami.
The team hired Kelly as a senior personnel executive in March. This came after the Raiders split with the veteran exec, as they retooled their front office once again this offseason. Kelly served as interim GM in 2023 but was retained under Tom Telesco in 2024. The Raiders considered Kelly for the job Telesco received, and Kelly has taken part in GM interviews elsewhere. His work at the trade deadline figures to help determine where he lands in 2026 — should the Dolphins fully clean house at that point.
Earlier today, veteran insider Jordan Schultz identified the Seahawks as one of the candidates to make a notable addition. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports later confirmed Seattle could be among the teams to swing a move hours before this afternoon’s deadline. That has indeed taken place, and the 6-2 outfit will have a notable new element on offense for the stretch run.
