Pro Football Rumors
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.
