NFL Execs Back Jon-Eric Sullivan to Lead Dolphins Out of the Abyss

Dolphins rookie general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan inherited one of the most untenable roster, contract and salary cap situations in the NFL, having to shed talent and absorb short-term pain right from the onset of his campaign running the franchise. 

However, several rival executives around the league believe he is well positioned to lead the long-suffering franchise out of the abyss and anticipate him being very active during the draft to continue adding assets for the future.

Miami parted with former stars like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle this offseason and had no choice from a football and financial standpoint than to eat fallen-quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s bloated salary to clear out room for a new starter. 

The way in which he has executed those moves thus far, including the value he extracted from Denver for Waddle, has earned praise around the league. 

While the cast around new free-agent signee quarterback Malik Willis is barren, several general managers told me they believe Willis is an NFL starter, and by inheriting such a poor roster in comparison to most every team in the league, the expectation is that Sullivan continues to add future assets by moving down the draft a time or two later this month.

The right stuff

“He knows what he’s doing and you can already see that in the moves he’s made,” said one NFL general manager. 

“You are talking about an evaluator who came up the right was in Green Bay under Ron Wolf/Ted Thomspon tree. That’s John Schneider (Seattle GM) and Elliot Wolf (New England GM). That’s where you should be hiring from in our business…" 

“He understands that you should always be adding quarterbacks and he’ll be positioned to add one next year even if Willis performs well for them. And I think he will. I really like Willis. I love that signing for them. He’s not afraid to make bold moves and I bet he comes out of this draft with at least two or three more picks for 2027. You can see there is a process there and they finally have a plan.”

Another longtime personnel executive said: “I think they finally found their guy there… He’s sitting on four third round picks right now, and I bet he turns that into another second or third for next year. He knows what to do with that hand.”

The Dolphins, somehow, have not won a playoff game since 2000. They have reached the playoffs in successive seasons just once since 2000 and never been a true contending team under owner Stephen Ross.