A new era has begun for the Miami Dolphins.
The team held a press conference on Thursday, during which they introduced their new general manager and head coach.
This change brings a renewed sense of hope to a franchise and fanbase that haven’t won a playoff game in 25 years and are looking to return to former success.
At the team’s indoor practice facility, Dolphins’ owner and chairman Stephen Ross introduced the new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, and new head coach, Jeff Hafley. Both were former members of the Green Bay Packers organization.
“When you really look and think about people, you wanna get people who are winners, people who came from winning organizations, so they know what winning is,” said Ross. “The first conversation we could have with him was via Zoom, and about 10 minutes into it, I just said: ‘Hey, this is our guy.’”
This will be Hafley’s first-ever head-coaching job and Sullivan’s first time in the GM gig.
Despite being new to their roles, both Hafley and Sullivan said their previous experiences have helped mold them to succeed.
“I come from a place the last 22 years, it’s all about winning. Every decision we make is about winning, but I wasn’t leaving to go just anywhere,” said Sullivan.
“It’s a toughness that thrives on competition and it’s a toughness that reflects the people and the spirit of the City of Miami,” said Hafley. “That’s what I’m most excited about.”
Sullivan was very emotional in his speech, and both thanked their families, fighting back tears, recognizing what an amazing moment it was, but maintaining that winning is the most important thing.
“Together, we will implement a proven process, we’ll build something special,” said Sullivan. “It’s not gonna be an easy road, and when we get to the end of this thing, and we hoist that trophy, we’ll realize we started at the bottom, we fought our way to the top, and it’ll be one of the more special moments of all of our lives. I have no doubt that we will get there.”
It was echoed loud and clear that a winning culture is what they want to establish in Miami.
“His words to me were, ‘If you don’t get this done, you will never be able to say it was because you didn’t have the resources,’ which tells me everything I need to know,” said Sullivan. “I think we all know that every place is not like that. I come from a place where the last 22 years, it’s all about winning, every decision we make is about winning.”
When asked about the plan for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Sullivan stated that they don’t have all the information at this time but will evaluate all the quarterbacks on the roster, as well as all available quarterbacks on other teams, and emphasized that it is the most important position in sports.
If the team were to cut Tagovailoa over the offseason, they would be on the hook for $99 million in dead cap space through 2028. Alternatively, they could explore trade options to get a possible return for his departure.
For now, the team is urging patience as they move closer toward free agency and the NFL Combine, ultimately, into the NFL Draft.
Above all else, the team wants to heavily prioritize making effective draft picks, developing talent on the roster and retaining their proven stars going forward.