Dolphins Close To Hiring General Manager

The Dolphins are suddenly without a head coach after firing Mike McDaniel on Thursday. The team also doesn’t have a full-time general manager, but it appears that’s about to change.

The Dolphins expect to make a decision on a GM by Friday, Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald passes along similar information, writing they’ll choose a candidate by Friday night or Saturday.

Since the Dolphins parted with longtime GM Chris Grier on Halloween, Champ Kelly has held the position on an interim basis. He’s one of four finalists for the job, joining Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams.

The Dolphins interviewed Kelly on Wednesday. Their in-person meetings with Alexander, Sullivan and Williams occurred Thursday, per Darlington. Sullivan previously conducted a Zoom interview with the team on Tuesday, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.

Alexander wasn’t on the Dolphins’ list of GM possibilities until Tuesday. They added him hours before the Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh, Jackson writes. With Harbaugh now available and on the Dolphins’ radar, it’s worth noting that Alexander was in Baltimore’s front office for the majority of the coach’s 18-year run there. Alexander worked in the organization with Harbaugh for 11 years.

Once the Dolphins identify a front office leader, the focus will turn to finding McDaniel’s replacement. The head coaching hire will be a collaborative effort between the GM and owner Stephen Ross, per Jackson. Unsurprisingly, though, Ross will have the final say.

Since taking over as majority owner in 2009, Ross has signed off on hiring four head coaches. None of his previous selections – McDaniel, Brian Flores, Adam Gase and Joe Philbin – won a playoff game. The Dolphins have only gone to the postseason three times under Ross. McDaniel was at the helm for two of those seasons, but back-to-back sub-.500 campaigns cost him his job.

Dolphins Narrow GM Candidates To Four

The Dolphins have reportedly narrowed down their list of candidates to replace fired general manager Chris Grier to four. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander, Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, and Miami’s interim general manager Champ Kelly are all moving forward to in-person interviews.

The Dolphins started their search requesting interviews for seven external candidates, including Alexander, Sullivan, and Williams. Also out of San Francisco, assistant general manager R.J. Gillen and vice president of player personnel Tariq Ahmad did not advance with their 49ers colleague, Williams, to the next round of the process. Neither did Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby or Rams assistant general manager John McKay. It’s unclear if every requested interview occurred, but the Dolphins simply stated that they had “completed the initial round of interviews” and would be moving on with the aforementioned four.

As Pelissero points out, Miami is working efficiently off of their two-month head start after firing Grier back in October, taking only two days to conduct their virtual interviews. Dianna Russini of The Athletic added on that the in-person, second round of interviews will begin tomorrow. The team is making good use of the interview group they put together led by senior vice president of football and business administration Brandon Shore and assisted by Hall of Fame quarterbacks Troy Aikman, a newly hired consultant, and special advisor Dan Marino.

The Dolphins’ indicated that they are looking for a GM with a scouting background, and that is certainly the case with the crop they’ve landed on. Kelly, who may be the first interview tomorrow, considering his current proximity to the club, started in the NFL as a college scout with the Broncos. After working his way up a bit, Kelly landed in Chicago as director of pro scouting and moved his way up a bit more before landing the assistant general manager job with the Raiders. He got his first interim GM hours in Vegas but eventually found his way to Miami after he wasn’t awarded the full-time job. He’ll hope history doesn’t repeat itself in the coming weeks.

Sullivan started as a scouting intern with the Packers in 2003 and has been with them ever since. Over 22 years in Green Bay, Sullivan moved into a full-time role, spent eight years as a regional scout, two years as director of college scouting, and four years as co-director of player personnel before landing in his current role. His first general manager interest came last year, as he was requested to interview with the Raiders, interviewed with the Jaguars, Jets, and Titans, and made it to the second round of interviews in Jacksonville and Tennessee.

Williams has been in San Francisco for 14 years, starting as an assistant in the scouting department in 2011. After two years of that, he worked three years as a pro personnel scout, five seasons as the team’s southeast area scout, and three years as a national scout before landing in his most recent role this year. Last year was also Williams’ first garnering interest in GM jobs, as he joined Sullivan in both rounds of interviews with the Jaguars. Unlike Sullivan, though, Williams was named a finalist for the position before Jacksonville ultimately hired James Gladstone. Williams was expected to garner lots of interest this year, and so far, he’s been linked to Miami and Atlanta.

Alexander was the latest entry on the list, only joining the candidate pool yesterday, when the team requested his interview. Like Williams and Sullivan, Alexander was also a first-year name that emerged in last offseason’s searches. He interviewed with the Jaguars and Raiders and was invited to participate in a second interview in Vegas. Though things have seemed safe lately for Miami head coach Mike McDaniel, there are thoughts that an Alexander-hire might put McDaniel in danger due to Alexander’s history with the Ravens and the newly jobless John Harbaugh.

With interviews already scheduled over the remainder of the week, expect the Dolphins to continue moving swiftly in their GM search. Unlike with coaches, general managers aren’t as guarded during the playoffs, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald points out that, should Miami want to hire one of the four external candidates, they would need written permission from their respective teams in order to bring them in before they’ve been eliminated from the postseason.

Dolphins To Interview Chargers’ Chad Alexander For GM; Mike McDaniel Not Lock To Stay?

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.

Jaguars Request GM Interviews With Four Executives

The Jaguars aren’t wasting any time finding a new general manager. Shortly after news broke of their interview request with Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg, we learned that the team requested interviews with four other executives. That grouping includes Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler), Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones), Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown (via Fowler), and Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham (via TheMMQB’s Albert Breer).

[RELATED: Jaguars Request GM Interview With Buccaneers Exec Mike Greenberg]

Alexander was a long-time Ravens staffer, with the executive spending two decades with the organization. He worked his way up to assistant director of pro personnel, a gig he held for his final nine years in Baltimore. When all was said and done, he ended up earning a pair of Super Bowl rings during his stint with the organization. He’s most recently bounced around the league, including jobs working under Joe Douglas with the Jets and Joe Hortiz with the Chargers. Alexander was a finalist for the Raiders GM opening earlier this offseason.

Brandon Brown was also a finalist for that job in Las Vegas, and he interview for jobs with the Chargers and Panthers last offseason. The executive made a name for himself in Philadelphia, where he worked his way up from assistant director of pro scouting to director of player personnel. He took his talents to New York in 2022, where he’s spent the past three seasons working as the assistant general manager under Joe Schoen.

Trey Brown cut his teeth in the scouting ranks, spending time in the Patriots and Eagles front offices. After a three-year term as Philly’s director of college scouting, Brown spent a few years leading his own front office with the Birmingham Iron (AAF) and St. Louis BattleHawks (XFL). When those leagues folded, the executive took a scouting job with the Bengals, and he was promoted to a senior personnel executive role in 2022.

Cunningham started his front office career with the Ravens before joining the Eagles as their director of college scouting in 2017. He climbed the ranks to director of player personnel before taking an assistant GM job with the Bears in 2022. He’s spent the past three seasons in Chicago, although he’s flirted with promotions over the past two years. He was a finalist for the Commanders job last year, and he’s also been connected to jobs with the Chargers and Titans.

Cunningham was one of the initial names to be connected to the Jaguars job, along with former Titans GM Jon Robinson and Greenberg. While Liam Coen has a major say in who will run Jacksonville’s front office, Jones notes that the new GM will be considered the “primary football executive.” This means the eventual front office leader won’t answer to VP of Football Operations Tony Boselli, who the team officially hired earlier today.

Raiders To Conduct Second GM Interviews With Brandon Brown, Chad Alexander

A pair of finalists have emerged for the Raiders’ general manager position. More in-person interviews could be coming soon, but for now two are on tap.

Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown has a second interview lined up with the Raiders, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. His second meeting with the team will take place Monday. On that same day, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds Chargers AGM Chad Alexander will conduct a second interview with Vegas’ search committee.

Earlier this week, it was learned both staffers had received an interview request from the Raiders. Brown and Alexander each took part in a virtual interview, and their success in that capacity has kept them in contention to land the position. Neither have been an NFL general manager before, but Brown is no stranger to interest in that regard while Alexander is a veteran of several front offices.

Brown’s NFL tenure began in 2012 with the Jets, but much of his tenure in the league came with the Eagles. He held the title of director of pro scouting as well as pro personnel director before making the intra-divisional move to the Giants. New York will keep GM Joe Schoen for at least one more year, but if he were to be replaced Brown would represent a feasible in-house option to take over. Depending on how his in-person interview goes, though, Brown could elect to make his general manager debut in Vegas.

Alexander spent 20 seasons with the Ravens in several capacities. He has served with familiar faces since departing Baltimore, having worked under Joe Douglas with the Jets and, for 2024, Joe Hortiz with the Chargers. Alexander will look to join Douglas and Hortiz as staffers who parlayed their time in Baltimore into GM gigs elsewhere.

Recent days have seen Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson heavily linked to the Raiders’ head coaching position, a potential hire which would come as something of a surprise given the team’s quarterback situation. Drafting a passer would be a logical step this offseason, with Shedeur Sanders being a name to watch closely on that front. In any case, finding a long-term answer under center will be a central priority for Vegas once a general manager hire is made.

Via PFR’s GM search tracker, here is an updated look at the Raiders’ situation:

  • Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
  • Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
  • Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested

Raiders Request Interviews With Giants’, Chargers’ Assistant GMs

The list of candidates for the Raiders‘ open general manager position continues to grow. After three interviews were requested or announced yesterday, the team requested two more interviews today. Earlier, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Raiders were the latest team to request an interview with Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tagged on a request to interview Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, as well.

While he has yet to earn his first general manager position just yet, Brown is once again getting interest in a top job. Brown is one of the younger names you’ll see getting interviews in this cycle. He only broke into the NFL as a pro personnel intern for the Jets in 2012. In 2017, Brown got his big break, getting hired as assistant director of pro scouting in Philadelphia. After two years in the position, Brown was promoted to director of pro scouting and, two years later, was promoted as second time to director of player personnel. After only a year in that role, the Giants hired Brown away to become their assistant general manager in 2022.

Before he was hired by New York, he was interviewed in 2022 for the Vikings GM position that went to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. His meteoric rise stalled a bit in 2023, as he continued his job without further interviews, but last year, both the Panthers and Chargers booked him as a candidate for their open GM jobs, which eventually went to Dan Morgan and Joe Hortiz, respectively. Both teams even moved him on to the second round of interviews before making their decisions.

Alexander has been around a bit longer than Brown. He spent 20 seasons in Baltimore in a variety of roles, mostly in the personnel department under Ozzie Newsome. He followed Joe Douglas to the Jets, when Douglas was hired as GM, to serve as director of player personnel, a role Alexander held for five years in New York. When his other former coworker in Baltimore, Hortiz, was hired as GM in Los Angeles last year, he followed to take on his current role.

While Alexander has extensive experience in NFL front offices, having just completed his 26th season in the NFL, this is his first interview for a general manager position. If the Raiders are able to complete interviews with two of Brown, Alexander, and Steelers director of pro scouting Sheldon White, they will have satisfied the interview requirements of the Rooney Rule.

For now, both Brown and Alexander join a currently short list of Raiders’ candidates, though more candidates are expected to be announced. Here’s the full list of the team’s planned and requested interviews:

  • Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interview requested
  • Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interview requested
  • Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?
  • John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview
  • Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
  • Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested

2025 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

The Titans and Raiders again became part of a GM carousel in the 2020s. Tennessee canned its front office boss after two seasons, while Las Vegas moved on after one. These two joined the Jets, and after two-plus offseason weeks, the Jaguars followed suit by firing Trent Baalke. With the Titans, Raiders and Jets landing on GMs, the Jags are the only team left searching. Here is how the GM market looks:

Updated 2-21-25 (4:00pm CT)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Chargers To Hire Jets’ Chad Alexander As Assistant GM

The Chargers will turn to two longtime Ravens staffers to lead their next front office. New GM Joe Hortiz will hire a familiar name to be his top lieutenant alongside Jim Harbaugh.

Hortiz and Harbaugh are bringing Jets director of player personnel Chad Alexander to Los Angeles, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets. While Alexander will make the trek from New York to Los Angeles, he and Hortiz worked together in Baltimore for nearly 20 years. The Bolts hired Hortiz as GM late last month.

[RELATED: Chargers Name Greg Roman As Offensive Coordinator]

Alexander joined ex-Ravens exec Joe Douglas with the Jets in 2019, when Douglas took over as GM. Prior to the New York trek, Alexander had ascended to the post of assistant director of pro personnel in Baltimore. Coming up from the scouting ranks, Alexander spent his final nine seasons with the Ravens holding that title. He collected two Super Bowl rings for his efforts, joining Hortiz as being with the club during its Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XLVII seasons.

The Jets have now lost Alexander and assistant GM Rex Hogan. They mutually parted ways with the latter last month. Hogan, who also held a Jets role under Mike Maccagnan, returned to the Jets as assistant GM once Douglas took over. Alexander and Hogan served as Douglas’ top two advisors, Brian Costello of the New York Post adds. As Douglas prepares for a make-or-break year in New York, he will need some new lieutenants.

Harbaugh’s fractured relationship with ex-49ers GM Trent Baalke played a central role in the former’s San Francisco tenure ending after four seasons. The 49ers had Baalke on staff before hiring Harbaugh. With the Chargers set to give the decorated (and highly paid) HC personnel control, they have long been expected to work with their new coach in assembling the front office. They will have two ex-John Harbaugh coworkers running point on that end.

Additionally, the Chargers announced Corey Krawiec will be named director of player personnel strategy. The team hired Krawiec recently, and the fellow ex-Ravens exec will pair with former coworkers Hortiz and Alexanders.

Jets To Hire Ravens Exec Chad Alexander

Joe Douglas‘ Jets staff has begun to take shape. Barely two hours after reporting Phil Savage was Big Apple-bound, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Ravens executive Chad Alexander will join him on Douglas’ staff.

The Ravens in May named Alexander their assistant director of pro and college personnel. A respected scout, Alexander will serve as Jets director of player personnel, Rapoport notes, representing a significant promotion for the longtime Ravens staffer. Alexander worked with the Ravens for 20 years.

Alexander’s Ravens tenure overlapped with Douglas’, which ran for 15 years to start the 21st century. The two will reunite with the Jets. It is unclear what role Savage will play in New York, but he also has ties to Douglas. Savage’s tenure as Ravens director of college scouting and director of player personnel in the early 2000s came when Douglas and Alexander were on staff.

Both Savage and Alexander were on the radar prior to these moves, joining NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN.com’s Todd McShay. While both the well-known TV draft analysts opted to remain in their visible positions, the two former AFC North execs will make the move east in an attempt to help Douglas rebuild the Jets. Bears exec Champ Kelly, who interviewed for the Jets’ GM post, may still be on the radar as well.

Reactions, Notes On Joe Douglas Hiring

Yesterday, the Jets succeeded in hiring their top GM target, as the organization inked Joe Douglas to a six-year contract. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that their new GM will earn $3MM per year. This is a significant increase over the team’s initial $1.5MM offer, but Douglas’ refusal to immediately accept the gig forced the Jets to up the ante.

The $3MM salary isn’t outrageous for a first-time general manager, as top executives usually take in around $4MM annually. On the flip side, it isn’t chump change, and the modest monetary investment implies that Jets ownership is willing to give their new GM a relatively long leash.

Let’s check out some more notes out of New York…

  • We heard yesterday that Douglas had turned down multiple Jets overtures, but the organization continued to be aggressive. According to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, the negotiations took several days, and there was some pessimism that Douglas would end up returning to the Eagles. Ultimately, the Jets were apparently willing to meet their new GM’s monetary demands.
  • However, it sounds like money wasn’t the only factor that gave Douglas some pause. Mehta reports that the executive also had some concerns about Jets ownership and “control/reporting elements of the job.” Ultimately, Douglas was enticed by the presence of Sam Darnold, an up-and-coming roster, and enough money to add talented front-office executives. Mehta notes that the signing also “completed a hat trick” for agent Jimmy Sexton. The agent represents Douglas, Darnold, and head coach Adam Gase.
  • Speaking of front office candidates, Jason La Canfora points to former Browns general manager Phil Savage and Ravens exec Chad Alexander as executives who could join Douglas’s staff. NFL.com’s Gil Brandt tweets that Douglas wanted NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah to join him in New York, but that won’t end up happening.
  • ESPN’s Rich Cimini believes this is “a very good hire” by the team, but the writer also questions whether the executive is “ready for the Jets.” Cimini points to the organization’s lack of stability, inexperienced ownerships (with CEO Christopher Johnson is charge), and “backroom politics.” However, the most important factor will be the relationship between Douglas and Gase; if the GM and head coach clash, Cimini believes the Jets will have “no chance” at succeeding.
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