Dolphins Seeking GM With Scouting Background; Latest On Mike McDaniel
With newly hired consultant Troy Aikman aiding the Dolphins’ search for a general manager, the team is expected to appoint a GM with a scouting background, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The Dolphins want someone whose “expertise is in team building,” Pelissero says.
Having gone without a full-time GM since parting with Chris Grier on Halloween, Miami is poised to move quickly in its hunt for a replacement, per Pelissero. Interim GM Champ Kelly will reportedly interview, but Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and 49ers director, scouting and football operations Josh Williams are among outside names to watch, Albert Breer of SI.com relays.
This is the second time Sullivan has come up in connection to Miami’s GM vacancy since Grier’s exit. The 50-year-old has worked for the Packers since he began as a training camp intern in 2003.
Sullivan has garnered extensive experience as a scout in Green Bay, which may make him an ideal fit for the Dolphins. After interviewing for multiple GM openings last offseason, Sullivan should be well prepared for the process.
Williams joined Sullivan in interviewing for Jacksonsville’s GM role twice last winter, though the job ultimately went to James Gladstone. A year later, expectations are Williams will parlay a strong scouting resume into further interest from GM-needy teams.
Now in his 14th season in San Francisco, Williams is familiar with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who was on the 49ers’ coaching staff from 2017-21. With the 7-9 Dolphins set to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row, McDaniel’s future is in question.
If the Dolphins select Williams as their GM, it could boost McDaniel’s odds of returning for a fifth season. However, the Dolphins are not prioritizing hiring someone based on how that individual meshes with McDaniel, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. Rather, they want “the best fit in general.”
Although McDaniel has an important fan in owner Stephen Ross, that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to keep his job. Ross will listen to his high-ranking front office members before deciding the coach’s fate, according to Breer.
Miami’s next GM will likely join McDaniel (or a different head coach) and senior VP of football and business administration Brandon Shore in forming the team’s power structure on the football side, Breer notes. Shore has taken on a larger role since Grier’s ouster. He’ll work alongside Ross and president Tom Garkfinkel as Miami searches for its next GM, per Breer.
Browns GM Andrew Berry Likely To Stay; Mike McDaniel On Team’s Radar?
As smoke about the Browns moving on from Kevin Stefanski has emerged, Andrew Berry continues to skate by without many indications his job is in jeopardy. As the Browns wrap another disappointing season, they do not appear ready to fire their GM.
Despite the Browns being 7-26 over the past two seasons and still on the hook for the Deshaun Watson contractual catastrophe, Berry remains the point man. He is on track to be retained for a seventh year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano write. The veteran GM has operated like someone who believes he is coming back, per Fowler, with Graziano adding he has received “no indication” a Cleveland GM change is coming.
A November report indicated a chance at a housecleaning exists, but were the Berry-Stefanski duo to be split, the GM would be more likely to stay. Meddling from ownership also has been rumored during Berry’s tenure. That is certainly not out of character for how Jimmy Haslam operated in the early years of his tenure, though the oft-criticized owner has refrained from impulse firings this decade — after a slew of quick-trigger decisions in the 2010s. Berry and Stefanski have been in place since 2020; both received extensions before the 2024 season.
It can be argued Berry is more at fault for where the Browns are than Stefanski. After all, the sixth-year HC is a two-time Coach of the Year who has made his offense work with a few quarterbacks. Watson was not one of those, and the five-year, $230MM contract has defined this regime’s run. In 2022, Haslam said Berry hatched the scheme to fully guarantee Watson’s contract. The owner has not retracted this, but he did admit an organizational mistake on Watson this offseason. Berry also said Browns brass was aligned on Watson when discussing the controversial trade last year.
The QB was believed to be headed to Atlanta before the Browns reentered the race with their outlier guarantee. Berry remaining employed nearly four years after the team authorized the worst contract in NFL history on his watch does point to Haslam being hands-on for that move. Watson’s contract has veered into the MLB/NBA sunk-cost stratum, with the dead money — thanks in large part to many Berry-authorized restructures — so massive it appears the Browns will be forced to retain him in 2026 as well.
The Browns look to have also identified some pieces in this draft, having seen Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin enjoy quality rookie seasons. That lot of Day 2 draftees came after the team moved out of the Travis Hunter slot, adding additional first- and second-round capital to do so, to select defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5. Pro Football Focus has Graham 34th among over 100 interior D-line regulars this season. This has not translated to wins, but ownership may believe Berry can guide the Browns out of the mess they have created.
This is Berry’s second stint in Cleveland. He was in place during the ill-fated Sashi Brown– and Paul DePodesta-directed rebuild from 2016-17. The Browns brought him back (from the Eagles) after firing John Dorsey following the 2019 season (DePodesta is now back in baseball, joining the Colorado Rockies). Two of the team’s three playoff berths since its 1999 relaunch have come on Berry and Stefanski’s watch, which will make for an interesting decision after this season wraps at either 5-12 or 4-13.
Stefanski has been linked to the Giants in a possible trade, and Fowler notes some around the league wonder if the ex-Vikings OC being the would be the strongest retread candidate were the Browns to fire him. The retread crop includes Robert Saleh, Vance Joseph and Mike McCarthy. Mike McDaniel could also qualify if the Dolphins move on, which may be close to a 50-50 proposition at this point. If the Browns fire Stefanski, Fowler also points to the team having interest in McDaniel were he to be let go.
That would be a fascinating switch. Most teams go in different directions after firing a coach, but a Stefanski-for-McDaniel swap would be firing an offensive coach on the younger side and then hiring a similar option (Stefanski is 43, McDaniel 42).
Any thought of this switch would seemingly be aimed at McDaniel maximizing Cleveland’s offense in a way Stefanski has been unable to over the past two seasons. McDaniel is far from certain to be out in Miami, but with the AFC East club set to hire a new GM, his standing is murky ahead of Week 18. It appears both Stefanski and McDaniel would garner immediate HC interest — on a market without many surefire offense-based candidates — if fired.
Dolphins Hire Troy Aikman As Consultant On GM Search
JANUARY 2: While Shore will play a major role in the Dolphins’ GM search, but ownership will be “leading the search,” per Jackson. That will leave the team’s final decision up to Ross, and he may very well be steering the process based on his perceptions about current candidates.
JANUARY 1: The Dolphins parted ways with former general manager Chris Grier back on Halloween and seem to have kept their attention on finishing out this season. Senior personnel executive Champ Kelly has been relied on as the interim general manager since then, reprising a role he also played in Las Vegas. While we’ve heard that there’s already plenty of interest in the job, at the moment, the only person known to be a candidate is Kelly. 
While résumés are probably being collected and names evaluated, there have been no reports before today that showed the search was underway. To that effort, according to a breaking report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Hall of Fame quarterback and current ESPN analyst Troy Aikman has been hired by Dolphins team owner Stephen Ross to consult on the search for their new general manager. The three-time Super Bowl champion will not have to relinquish his ESPN contract, though, as the advising role is a temporary one only meant to last through the process of the search.
Several networks contributed to this report. Shortly after Schefter broke the seal, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated added that Aikman has already been active in the role, making “calls around the league to research candidates” and discussing “strategy with Miami ownership.” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network chimed in, as well, clarifying that Aikman “is not considered a candidate for the job” despite having “mused in the past about becoming a GM himself.” Adding to the responsibilities listed by Breer, Pelissero mentioned that Aikman “is doing background work ahead of interviews next week.” Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald also contributed, adding that Aikman will also “sit in on interviews” and “discuss candidates with Ross.”
Grier had been with the Dolphins since 2000, when he started as a scout and worked his way up to assistant director of college scouting in 2003, director of college scouting in 2007, and general manager in 2016. Having a mind that’s been in the building since 2000 running the personnel show since 2016, Ross thought it was important to gain some outside perspective. With Grier being an interior hire, the team has not “run a full GM search since they hired Dennis Hickey in 2014,” according to Pelissero. Per Schefter, Aikman’s time as an NFL player and broadcaster over the past 37 years equipped him with the respected perspective and strong relationships across the league that Miami was looking for in the consulting position.
The idea of getting outside help is certainly not a foreign one. Two years ago, the Commanders utilized former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers in their coaching and GM searches; though, unlike Aikman, Myers stayed with the team after the searches were complete. Last year, Jets owner Woody Johnson employed former Dolphins executives Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman in New York’s coaching and GM searches. We’ve also seen teams utilize consulting firms for searches.
The process of hiring Aikman has seemingly been underway for weeks, even before he called the Dolphins’ game against the Steelers three weeks ago, per Jackson. In his commentary for that contest, Aikman was complimentary of head coach Mike McDaniel‘s playcalling, though he questioned the offense’s fourth-quarter pace. Per Jackson, these comments don’t have any effect on McDaniel’s future, as Aikman’s consulting role is limited strictly to the general manager role. Jackson added that Ross still has faith in McDaniel and that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the head coach return in 2026 with the new GM, but no final decision has been made.
Per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Ross is looking for reasons to keep McDaniel as he weathers the end of the season without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Ownership wants to see McDaniel reidentify himself and his offense outside of Tagovailoa, who may still be on the roster next year, though the team will explore trading him to relieve themselves of the guaranteed money he’s tied to. Regardless, a new quarterback is expected to at least be competing with Tagovailoa for the starting job next year, and Ross wants to know McDaniel can establish success without him, if necessary.
For the general manager search, per Breer, the Dolphins have already done significant homework — Jackson phrased it, “laying the groundwork” — researching candidates since parting ways with Grier and “plan to hit the ground running on their GM search early next week,” after their 2025 season has officially concluded. NFL teams cannot interview candidates currently working in executive roles with other NFL teams until the regular season concludes anyway. Aikman’s services were uniquely attractive due to the relationships he has with his connections around the league due to his weekly Monday Night Football assignments, on which Pelissero says he “can lean on to gather info and shape the search.”
After the drama surrounding Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and his own access through the media, it will be interesting to see if any objections arise about Aikman’s participation in the search. Knowing that he’s been involved with the Dolphins since at least before Week 15, that means he’s worked games involving the Falcons, Colts, Rams, Steelers, and 49ers since then and will also work with the Seahawks and whatever playoff teams participate in the wild card and second-round playoff games Aikman is assigned to. If any interview candidates come from these teams, conflict of interest concerns may arise from Aikman’s work with the franchises as a representative of ESPN.
Jackson did confirm that Kelly is expected to receive an interview, but the team is planning for the search to be a thorough one examining a wide range of candidates. In regard to what the Dolphins are looking for out of a potential GM, Pelissero stresses that their focus is on a strong scouting background. Jackson followed that comment up by underlining how much Miami values senior vice president of football and business administration Brandon Shore, whom they see “as someone skilled with the salary cap and other business-oriented aspects that are critical in a modern-day NFL front office.”
According to Wolfe, Shore is “expected to be the quarterback” of the search. Wolfe claims Shore’s role may become something similar to that of Rams team president Kevin Demoff, allowing him to handle the money while the new GM handles personnel decisions like scouting and the fates of McDaniel and Tagovailoa.
Aikman isn’t the only Hall of Fame passer on the search team. Wolfe mentions that Dolphins special advisor Dan Marino will also be involved in interviews. Aikman’s services were sought in addition to Marino’s because his experience is a bit more league-wide. Though Shore is quarterbacking the search that involves two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, ultimately, the decision on the who the next GM will be comes down to Ross. The search will hit the ground running Monday.
League Insiders Differ On Mike McDaniel’s Future In Miami
Despite a recent report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport claiming that the Dolphins will keep Mike McDaniel at the end of the year, the team may not have finalized that decision yet.
“I know people are saying [Mike McDaniel] is safe,” said ESPN’s Adam Schefter on the Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t think they have made any decisions there yet about his future. He might be safe, but he might not. That is still playing out in real-time, and nothing has been decided there. We’ll see how that plays out over time.”
“Nothing has been decided there,” he repeated.
Between the two reports was a blowout loss to the Bengals. The Dolphins got out to a 14-10 lead in the second quarter before their defense allowed touchdowns on five straight drives. Here’s how Miami’s corresponding drives on offense ended: punt, fumble, interception, turnover on downs, and another fumble.
That is an embarrassing enough performance for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to at least reconsider his decision on McDaniel. His job security has been a topic of discussion all season with the pendulum swinging back and forth between firing and retaining him. His decision to bench Tua Tagovailoa for Quinn Ewers seemed to be an indicator that he was still in good standing, but Schefter’s latest report is leaning the other way.
McDaniel’s fate may be decided by the Dolphins’ next two games. First, they will face a 7-8 Buccaneers team still fighting to win the NFC South. Next will be the Patriots who may still be battling for their division and/or a first-round bye. Those are both tough games, – especially going up to New England in Week 18 – and given how Miami has played this season, both seem like they could get out of hand.
If McDaniel can find a way to lose more gracefully than he did on Sunday, he might stay in good enough standing to keep his job. But getting blown out could be the last straw for his tenure in Miami.
Dolphins Expected To Retain Mike McDaniel; Champ Kelly To Receive GM Interview
DECEMBER 21: While the Dolphins are planning to keep McDaniel, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tagovailoa is on his way out of Miami. A trade, even if it involves eating some of Tagovailoa’s 2026 salary, would be the team’s “preferred option,” per Rapoport, but an outright release is still on the table despite the financial consequences. Keeping the 27-year-old quarterback as the league’s most expensive backup – as the Falcons did with Kirk Cousins – does not appear to be an option at the moment.
DECEMBER 19: The Dolphins demoted Tua Tagovailoa to the third-string spot on their depth chart this week, potentially signaling an end to the inconsistent passer’s six-year Miami tenure. As for the coach that pulled the trigger on this move, no change is expected.
Although the Dolphins lost to the Steelers and are now eliminated from the playoffs, Mike McDaniel being allowed to make the Tagovailoa-for-Quinn Ewers switch may be telling. The belief in Miami is that McDaniel will stay for a fifth season, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes.
Prospective HC and GM candidates informed Jones their expectation is McDaniel will be retained and have a chance to spark a turnaround. One source told Jones a belief in the building is McDaniel was given a “tough hand” this year, and unlike the since-ousted Chris Grier, the sideline leader will be given a chance to bounce back in 2026. This is not the first time we have heard McDaniel was likely to be kept, but this coming after the Tua news certainly carries more weight.
It may be tough to see McDaniel’s job being easier next year, assuming he stays. If the team follows through with a Tagovailoa release, it would bring a staggering $99.2MM dead money hit. That dead cap number would be split between 2026 and ’27, continuing a line of pricey Dolphins post-June 1 moves, but will significantly hinder Miami’s roster-building capabilities regardless of where the 2026 salary cap settles.
Only the Broncos have incurred a dead money hit north of $60MM, via their $84.6MM Russell Wilson release. The Dolphins have cut Byron Jones and Xavien Howard using the post-June 1 transaction (2023, 2024), and they needed to wait until after June 1 this year to trade Jalen Ramsey. Even in doing that, Ramsey set a defender record by accounting for $35.86MM in dead cap (spread between 2025 and ’26).
With Ramsey dead money at nearly $21MM next year, having Tagovailoa’s seismic sum hit the cap will make for a difficult task as McDaniel and a to-be-determined GM attempt to recover. Tagovailoa played the lead on-field role in the Dolphins securing back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since its 1997-2001 run of postseason appearances, but McDaniel appears set to outlast the QB in South Beach.
As we look set to see plenty of defense-based coaches generate HC interest on the upcoming carousel, keeping McDaniel makes sense due to his offensive acumen. McDaniel played the lead role in turning Tagovailoa around, with Tyreek Hill being a rather notable part of that effort, and did memorably test the Bills — in a three-point wild-card loss — with third-stringer Skylar Thompson at the helm. It appears McDaniel will be given a chance to see if he can develop another quarterback. It remains a mystery, barring a surprising Ewers stretch-run effort that convinces the Dolphins to stand down at the position, who that player will be if Tua is indeed jettisoned.
No team will be willing to pay the full Tagovailoa freight in a trade, per Jones. If Miami is to move on, it will need to eat a sizable portion of the QB’s $54MM 2026 guarantee in a trade. If Tagovailoa is on the Dolphins’ roster by March 13, a $3MM 2027 guarantee vests as well. Any action on the contract should naturally be expected before that date.
The prospect of McDaniel being paired with a new GM injects risk regarding timelines. Teams have begun to steer their operations toward HC-GM alignment in recent years, though the Bears are having success despite Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson arriving at different points. The Jaguars and Raiders fired their GMs (Trent Baalke, Tom Telesco) for alignment purposes. It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins’ GM search unfolds with the to-be-determined exec being tied to McDaniel.
It will be considered likely the Dolphins hire an outside GM, but Jones adds interim boss Champ Kelly will receive an interview. Kelly was close to earning the Raiders’ GM job in 2024, only to be kept in the assistant GM role once Telesco was hired, and is respected around the league. Kelly interviewed for the Jags’ job this past offseason and met about the Panthers’ vacancy in 2024. He has been the Dolphins’ interim leader since Grier’s Halloween exit. Kelly oversaw the trade of Jaelan Phillips for a third-round pick; the veteran exec also kept Jaylen Waddle at the deadline, hiking up the Bills’ price due to their AFC East status.
The Dolphins are also considering splitting up their GM role in a sense. They have given SVP of football and business administration Brandon Shore more responsibility post-Grier, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Both Breer and Jones point to a potential setup in which McDaniel, Shore and a GM report to Stephen Ross, with Breer going as far as to say there is a “good chance” this setup will be in place in Miami come 2026.
Serving as the Dolphins’ cap chief, Shore has been with the franchise for 16 years. He has been in his current role since 2021. Being a key part of the Tagovailoa extension (four years, $212.4MM) the team now appears interested in escaping, Shore making a move up the ladder after that development certainly shows his sturdy organizational standing. Shore’s presence could well be a factor in the Dolphins’ GM pursuit as well, should the Dolphins truly be interested in an arrangement in which two or three staffers report directly to ownership.
Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Likely To Keep Job
Don’t look now, but the Dolphins have turned it around.
Mike McDaniel‘s squad has won four games in a row and five of their last six. The offense has looked good in spurts with at least 30 points three times in that stretch, but the defense has been the highlight. The Dolphins allowed 28 points in their loss to the Ravens – many of which came off offensive turnovers – and has not allowed more than 17 otherwise. They have also forced 10 turnovers in their last six matchups.
Miami’s turnaround has quieted the chatter around the team parting ways with McDaniel. Those prognostications seemed to be a reflection of the Dolphins’ poor performance more than their desire to move on from the 42-year-old head coach. Reports out of Miami consistently indicated that McDaniel could be retained in 2026 regardless of the team’s finish.
That decision, of course, lies with owner Stephen Ross. His vision for the Dolphins’ future will shape what appears to be a pivotal offseason for the franchise. In the past, he has seemed willing to tank and rebuild the roster, but he does not seem inclined to do so now. Ross fired general manager Chris Grier before the trade deadline partially because Grier wanted to tear down the roster and restart, per Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.
If Ross isn’t looking to rebuild, then it stands to reason that he will keep McDaniel for at least one more season. The Dolphins are already stuck with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for 2026 due to his untradeable contract, so they might as well retain the coach they hired to pair with him.
That is a common perspective around the league, according to La Canfora, as even teams who are in need of a quarterback will not want to take on his $54MM guaranteed compensation for 2026. The Dolphins seem poised to run it back with McDaniel and Tagovailoa, which may give them one last chance to save their jobs. However, Ross could already have given up on this iteration of the Dolphins and may be waiting for the 2027 offseason when he can cleanly move onto a new head coach and quarterback at the same time.
Ross’ decision on Grier’s replacement will also be a key factor in the Dolphins’ offseason. They will likely get renewed interest in assets like Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, but McDaniel may not want to move on from key cogs in his offensive scheme. Moving those players would indicate that McDaniel and Tagovailoa are having a lame duck year with very little chance of sticking around in 2027.
Momentum Building For Mike McDaniel To Remain Dolphins’ HC?
Viewed as a lame duck as the Dolphins cleaned house in the front office midway through this season, Mike McDaniel has responded by winning three games since the Chris Grier separation. The Dolphins are not exactly topping “In the Hunt” graphics at 4-7, but they have played better over the past month.
McDaniel led the team to back-to-back playoff berths — the first such instance for Miami since its 1997-2001 string of postseason qualifications — to open his tenure and went 8-9 despite Tua Tagovailoa‘s six missed games in 2024. As rumors about instability within the Dolphins’ organization swirled this offseason and into the campaign, McDaniel still entered the season on the hot seat. While the fourth-year HC’s seat should still be considered warm, momentum may be building toward the team retaining him.
Stephen Ross still believes in McDaniel and wants to see him succeed, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who adds the Miami sideline leader staying in place through 2026 is in play. This would make for an interesting dynamic, as the Dolphins will need a new GM after separating from Grier. But McDaniel’s success coaxing solid play from Tagovailoa, for the most part, will work in his favor — especially if Miami is to continue winning down the stretch.
I mentioned in last week’s PFR chat that a deeper pool of defensive-minded candidates — Vance Joseph, Chris Shula, Jeff Hafley, Jesse Minter, Robert Saleh among them — appears to exist compared to offense-oriented coaches with regards to a 2026 HC hire. Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury still figure to generate interest, but their stocks have not exactly soared this season. McDaniel being a proven offensive coach — one who would generate considerable interest on the 2026 OC carousel if fired — gives Ross something to think about, and Graziano colleague Jeremy Fowler indicates McDaniel being a superior option to most offensive minds on the ’26 HC carousel will work in his favor.
While Tyreek Hill‘s 2022 arrival also played a significant role in Tagovailoa’s ascent, McDaniel’s arrival elevated the passer considerably after two uneven years. Tua’s legion of detractors notwithstanding, the left-handed passer has led the NFL in yards per attempt (2022), passing yards (2023) and completion percentage (2024) in separate seasons. To be fair, his 24th-place QBR placement this year leaves much to be desired. But if McDaniel can coax a solid finish from a player the Dolphins are pot-committed to — as his 2026 guaranteed salary will be difficult to move — that may be the difference in him receiving a fifth season.
As we discussed in a recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece, coaches and GMs being misaligned has proven to be an issue in recent years. Teams are shying away from not aligning their HC and GM hires; the Dolphins pairing McDaniel with a new GM hire would naturally keep the HC on the hot seat for 2026 as well. McDaniel’s extension also runs through 2028. Should the Dolphins stick with him for one more season or cut the cord and pair a new GM with his own HC?
Dolphins Likely To Retain Tua Tagovailoa For 2026?
Joining Trevor Lawrence as a summer 2024 extension recipient yet to justify his contract, Tua Tagovailoa has gone through an up-and-down stretch since the ink dried on his megadeal. The high-priced Dolphins quarterback remains in place as the team’s starter, but rumors about his future have created some uncertainty.
Rumblings about the southpaw being benched surfaced after GM Chris Grier‘s exit, and that report indicated uncertainty about whether the polarizing quarterback would be back in Miami for 2026. The guarantees the Dolphins authorized in the July 2024 deal may ensure the former top-five pick receives one more chance.
[RELATED: Dolphins Rejected Bills’ Jaylen Waddle Offer]
Tagovailoa “doesn’t have the best reputation around the league,” per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who points to the Dolphins needing to pay down a significant amount of the QB’s 2026 compensation to facilitate a viable trade. Two anonymous personnel staffers point to Tagovailoa receiving one more chance in Miami, via Jones, with one noting Mike McDaniel remaining in place would give the QB a better shot to stick around.
Like Lawrence, Tagovailoa’s 2026 compensation is fully guaranteed. The Dolphins owe him $54MM next year, complicating a deal. That payment came after back-to-back seasons with Tua finishing in the top five in passer rating and top 10 in QBR. Concussion issues marred Tagovailoa’s breakout 2022 slate and resurfaced soon after he signed his four-year, $212.4MM extension. The Dolphins losing Tyreek Hill to a severe knee injury hurt their offense this season, and Tagovailoa ranks 24th in QBR.
Tua also took heat for criticizing teammates for meeting attendance this season, and although the QB apologized for making that public, Jones notes that contributed to his perception around the NFL. The Dolphins responded to Grier’s firing with a convincing win over the Bills, buying McDaniel more time. They have cleaned house in the front office, however, moving on from two top Grier lieutenants (in co-player personnel directors Adam Engroff and Anthony Hunt). This further muddies the situation for the McDaniel-Tagovailoa partnership, though the QB’s injury history and perception within the league would limit his trade value.
Some QB-needy teams would undoubtedly look into Tagovailoa due to the sample quality play when healthy under McDaniel, but his series of concussions and struggles over the past two seasons would complicate a trade. If the Dolphins do retain the 2020 draftee in 2026 and fire McDaniel, some candidates could certainly express hesitation about the job.
Stephen Ross keeping McDaniel for another season is probably contingent on a strong finish, but it would also mean tying the Grier hire to another GM. As we discussed in a recent Trade Rumors Front Office post, incongruent timelines for HCs and GMs have proven to be a shaky recipe in recent years. But a 2027 Tua separation would be easier for Miami. No guaranteed money is in place for the Alabama alum beyond 2026, and the Dolphins would take on a relatively manageable $31.8MM dead money hit with a 2027 trade or release.
Tagovailoa became the centerpiece of Grier’s rebuild, and the Dolphins have enjoyed some success during his tenure. McDaniel oversaw the first instance of back-to-back playoff berths for the franchise since the team made five straight berths from 1997-2001. But the team has hit a wall. It remains uncertain if McDaniel can do anything to save his job this season, though the Buffalo upset moving the team to 3-7 assuredly helped the talented play-caller’s cause.
Dolphins Could Bench QB Tua Tagovailoa; Latest On HC Mike McDaniel
The 2-7 Dolphins have parted ways with longtime general manager Chris Grier and are already looking ahead to next season. As part of their evaluation process, the ‘Fins could consider benching starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link).
There were rumblings to that effect last month, but Tagovailoa responded with his best outing of the season in a 34-10 win over the Falcons. Unfortunately, he submitted a mediocre performance in Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens, and it now appears a demotion is on the table, with Rapoport saying the southpaw is “playing to keep his job.”
Following Grier’s departure, head coach Mike McDaniel – who was considered the savior of Tagovailoa’s career not too long ago – was said to be safe through at least the end of the 2025 campaign. Subsequent reports from Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) and Rapoport echo the notion that owner Stephen Ross still believes in McDaniel and wants him on the sidelines for the long haul.
But Tagovailoa almost certainly represents McDaniel’s best chance to keep his job. After all, the other passers on the roster are Zach Wilson – one of the biggest draft busts in recent history – and seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Rapoport describes Ewers as “impressive,” but after briefly overtaking Wilson for Miami’s QB2 role, the Texas product has been relegated back to the third position on the depth chart.
There could be some value in seeing what Ewers has to offer, though it would be hard for an outsider to see the same value in having Wilson take the reins. Still, if Tagovailoa keeps throwing interceptions – he presently leads the league with 11 picks – it appears McDaniel could consider a switch (if that does happen, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggests McDaniel should make sure Ross would not hold any ensuing offensive struggles against him).
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, meanwhile, believes the Dolphins are likely to part ways with McDaniel at season’s end. In Florio’s estimation, Tagovailoa’s contract situation – he is due $54MM in guaranteed money in 2026 – could make the Miami HC post less attractive to top coaching candidates, unless the Dolphins perform poorly enough to assure themselves of one of the top QB prospects in next year’s draft class.
Rapoport suggests the most viable option for the Dolphins with respect to Tagovailoa is to pay down some of the money he is owed in order to facilitate an offseason trade to a club with a need for a bridge passer. A pre-June 1 release is impossible due to the dead money hit it would generate, and even a post-June 1 release would be problematic from a cap standpoint. Of course, Miami could simply keep Tagovailoa as its starter (or possible bridge) and hope he can return to the form that earned him his $53.1MM/year deal in the first place.
Trade Rumors: Dolphins, Jennings, Sweat, Patriots, Chargers, Bills
We’ve seen a bit of a change of trade deadline strategy in Miami since the departure of former general manager Chris Grier. With Grier, the Dolphins were not planning on being very active at the trade deadline. There was some thought that interim GM Champ Kelly would be a bit more open to hearing offers, and after some initial refusal of that notion, the team has changed its tune.
We’ve seen this a bit in rumors, as edge rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Matt Judon have been the subject of some calls, and the Dolphins have even seemed more open to the idea of trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. According to Armando Salguero of OutKick, team owner Stephen Ross “approved of” — and even encouraged — Kelly selling off valuable players, if he could.
Additionally, per Salguero, Ross informed head coach Mike McDaniel that his job was safe for the season and would continue to be safe “if he can rally the team.” It’s anyone’s guess how McDaniel is expected to improve the team’s performance as the front office auctions off its best players, but that appears to be the challenge posed to the fourth-year head coach. This challenge puts particular stress on McDaniel’s handling of the quarterback position moving forward, following rumors that Tua Tagovailoa could face a demotion from his starting role.
Here are a few other rumors as we have under 48 hours remaining until the trade deadline:
- 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings has worked his way up from the practice squad in his rookie season to a full-time starting role in his fifth year with the team. Jennings sought an extension in the offseason, and he threatened a trade request in order to gain leverage in negotiations. Some teams reportedly called at the time, but with so many injuries at the position already, San Francisco rebuffed them. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, those same teams appear to be interested again. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has claimed he “would be very surprised” if Jennings gets dealt, mostly because they’ve yet to see the return from injury this year of Brandon Aiyuk. Rapoport suggests that, aside from that, Jennings wouldn’t be off the table.
- We’ve already reported that the Titans appear to be open for business in the trade market with every player except rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and starting defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Any other player is seemingly available. Some have been surprised that this apparently includes last year’s second-round defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, but Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com sees the reasoning. Per McCormick, the team has “not been enamored with him” so far. If someone with interest in the 24-year-old out of Texas comes with the right price, it sounds like Tennessee would be willing to part with him.
- With Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson dealing with his recent toe injury, and with New England’s rushers underwhelming so far this year overall, rumors have made the rounds that the team could be looking at the position in the trade market. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels attempted to silence those rumors, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, telling the media, “I think we have all the answers we need.” With Stevenson out today, the Patriots leaned on rookie second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson and RB3 Terrell Jennings against Atlanta. They also recently signed veteran D’Ernest Johnson to the practice squad and called him up for the game. Despite no single back averaging more than 35 rushing yards per game this season, McDaniels is apparently comfortable with his stable.
- On Saturday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Chargers were “exploring potential offensive line additions” on the trade market. If they weren’t before, they sure are now. Already dealing with a season-ending injury to left tackle Rashawn Slater and injuries this week to right guard Mekhi Becton and backup tackle Austin Deculus, Los Angeles saw its other original starter Joe Alt and replacement starter Bobby Hart exit today’s game with injuries. Down to their third options at both tackle spots, the Chargers may need to get active if they plan on continuing their push for the playoffs.
- In regard to the Bills‘ pursuit of wide receiver help through the trade market, while a specific name to add hasn’t yet emerged, another name seemingly has. According to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, if Buffalo makes an addition via trade and a corresponding move is needed to fit them on the 53-man roster, depth cornerback Brandon Codrington would be the likeliest cut candidate.