Like a stairway to heaven, the Miami Dolphins have been taking all the right steps to get back to legitimacy. Firing former GM Chris Grier was STEP 1. Sitting QB Tua Tagovailoa was STEP 2. Finally firing Head Coach Mike McDaniel was STEP 3. Hiring GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was STEP 4. The next step hopefully complete the cycle in a positive way. The most important thing the Miami Dolphins did was hire what seems like a truly competent man to run the Organization. He has the requisite scouting background and was responsible for building the roster in Green Bay, and he had done well there in that capacity. Now, there is one man who is above all others, and he will have the final say on all things involving the team as far as players and personnel.
Head Coach John Harbaugh is not coming here. Ross is a pretty malleable guy, especially when it comes to getting what he wants, but it appears that John Harbaugh truly does want the keys to the kingdom and all its riches, and I don’t believe Ross will accommodate that. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any excellent candidates for the Miami Dolphins to hire. There’s a Head Coach not named John Harbaugh that has nearly an identical record as Head Coach in the NFL.
John Harbaugh 180-113. .614 Playoffs 13-11
Mike McCarthy 174-112 .608 Playoffs 11-11
Uncanny that over a span of 18 years, that these two coaches are so close in their records, for different teams in different conferences, Harbaugh all 18 with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC, and McCarthy with 13 years with the Green Bay Packers and then 5 with the Dallas Cowboys, all in the NFC. I’m not advocating for the hiring of Mike McCarthy, but should we be looking for a Head Coach with a resume quite even with Jim Harbaugh’s, he exists. I know we have struck out with hiring first time Head Coaches, from Nick Saban to Cam Cameron to Tony Sparano to Joe Philbin to Adam Gase to Brian Flores and finally to Mike McDaniel. Just like some of the QB’s in the NFL, a lot of it is timing. Look at Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold. Both players flourishing after failing in their first NFL contracts, and the same goes for Coaches. I think it’s possible that both Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel can succeed for their next teams, they just have to be the right fit for that organization. If Tua stayed healthy and competitive, Mike McDaniel might still be here.
I’m 100% not against hiring another first time Head Coach. There’s been a lot of discussion over GB DC Jeff Hafley. The LA Rams DC is a household name in Miami, Chris Shula. Former Miami Dolphins DC Anthony Campanile is a hot name right now too. I have to say I loved that guy’s attitude and fire while he was here. If you watched last night’s game, Indiana’s Head Coach Curt Cignetti might garner some interest, although I have no idea whether he would want to enter the NFL ranks. The point is, there are options out there, and all is not lost if we don’t get John Harbaugh, who no doubt is an excellent candidate. Most of all, I trust that we have the right man in place to make that most important decision, and once again I stress that it will be HIS decision, and that decision will refelct directly on him, no one else. Full accountability and responsibility. The right way! Finally!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
I missed on the Eagles and Packers but got the other 3 games right. However I was 0-5 in teams I was rooting for, lol. What a miserable first round.
I don’t understand what is going on with these substitutions. The ref is making them wait to snap the ball?
If the offense substitutes, then the refs hold it up for so long so the defense can substitute.
My guess on that one was the Chargers didn’t want to sub but Keenan Allen came off the field after the play so they had to sub leading the refs to delay the snap so the defense could sub.
Chargers being without both their starting OT’s really showed.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/john-harbaugh-matt-lafleur-nfl-coaching-cycle/
Reports of Harbaugh’s demands are inaccurate, according to a source with knowledge. Harbaugh will command a high salary based simply off his resume, and some level of roster say is inherent in attracting a coach of that caliber. But a demand of $20 million in salary and full roster control are not required to land Harbaugh’s services.
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I’m absolutely stunned the reports of his demands may be inaccurate, lol.
I hope we don’t trade a high pick for LeFleur
I hope they release him . I wouldn’t mind him as our coach at all.
I long for the day where we are taking about the Dolphins in the playoffs rather than malls in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
I was talking to my friends on a text thread, one of them is a Chargers fan. Seems most of my friends think Herbert is an elite QB. I don’t know what they’re watching. He has elite measurables, his size and his arm strength and athleticism, but there’s something missing. He’s nowhere near as good as Josh Allen or Joe Burrow or Patrick Mahomes or Matt Stafford. Drake Maye in his 2nd season is better than him. Sam Darnold has been better than him the last 2 seasons. If you’re comparing him to Tua he’s marginally better but that ain’t saying much!
I wouldn’t trade picks for LaFleur, that’s just me. It worked out well with Shula though
Problem is, picks are ALL we got right now!
Local reports say that Lafleur will be staying but who really knows?
Does anyone have concerns about Hafley? The Packers gave up like 5 10 point or greater leads in the 4th quarter this year.
Micah Parsons was injured, also, so there is that.
Hafley is thought of highly in NFL circles, I guess.
No thank you to Jeff “Diary of a Whimpy Kid” Hafley
I am seeing more reports that Harbaugh preferred to select his onw GM but it was not a prerequisite. However, those same reports are confirming that Harbaugh wants total control over the roster.
Eagles, Dolphins predicted to pull off trade for $4 million backup who could start in Miami
NFL quarterback Tanner McKee???
Draft a QB, let him compete with Tua the Terrible and the Mighty Quinn
I would not draft a QB this year. Keep Tua and Quinn and add a third QB to compete. Tua is the best QB we have on the roster, and if he gets in shape and regains his will to win, the Dolphins can focus on their future QB in the 2027 NFL Draft
SBJ – Tua is not the best QB on the team. His original Nerf-gun arm has deteriorated to the lower end of pop gun class, he can’t read a defense after 6 years, he takes self-preservation because of his frailty to a whole new level, and he’s lost his accuracy. In other words he’s slow, dumb, can’t throw, and won’t take a hit. He’s not only not a starter, he shouldn’t even be playing football. Sit him, trade him, cut him…whatever. But don’t let him see the field in a Miami uniform ever again.
Andy Reid, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, is currently the highest-paid NFL head coach, with an annual salary of $20 million. He signed a five-year, $100 million extension in April 2024 that runs through the 2029 season
Does John Harbaugh deserve that kind of money? I don’t think so.
Top 5 Highest paid HC’s
Key Insights
Proven Success Rewarded: The top five highest-paid coaches all have a history of significant success, including Super Bowl wins and numerous playoff appearances.
Contract Details: Coaching contracts are not subject to the NFL salary cap, allowing teams to offer highly competitive, multi-year deals to secure top talent.
Comparison to Players: While NFL coaching salaries are high, the top players in the league, such as Dak Prescott, earn significantly more, with annual average salaries around $60 million.
Buffalo looks very beatable. That means this will be the year they win it all.
I think Harbaugh is easily one of the best coaches we’ve seen in the last 20 years. People forget things got ugly in Philly and Reid was fired because he wasn’t getting it done. He’s not the play designer Reid is, but he’s every bit as good a coach. He just hasn’t had Mahomes. Lamar ain’t that.
Well that’s an opinion alright.
Phelon stole my thunder. Tua used to be the best QB on this team, now it’s quite debatable. He’s physically and mentally compromised. He has to compete to earn a starting spot, and I don’t think he has it in him. He’s getting paid a gazillion dollars, he’ll have to swallow his pride and hold that clipboard!
To me, it’s not even up for debate. Tua is BY FAR the best QB we have on the roster.
The Tua that we saw this season? Did you watch him at the end of the season, or even after Hill was injured? It was mostly screens to Achane. I find it shocking that can you say that
Tua Tagovailoa has 18,166 passing yards, 120 touchdowns, and 59 interceptions over his six-season career. He was selected to one Pro Bowl in 2023
One bad season with that idiot we had as our HC the last 4 years does not diminish what he has done throughout his time in Miami.
Markeyh,
If that is true (and I don’t think it is) and he is BY FAR the best on the roster, then cut all of the QBs on the rother because none of them are NFL capable.
I find it shocking that you are trying to convince me he is not the best QB on this team. You are wasting your time.
What should be done is that Tua should be brought back to compete for the job with no guarantees.
It’s that simple!
Not sure whay any of you would have a problem with him being retained to compete for his job when he is owed 104 million dollars.
The Miami Dolphins owe quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a significant amount, with reports in late 2025 indicating roughly $104 million in guaranteed money across the 2025-2026 seasons, including a $54 million guarantee for the 2026 season, making him difficult to cut due to massive dead cap hits (around $99.2M if released in 2026) from his large extension signed in 2025, extending through 2028 at about $53.1M annually
Markey – You’re like a Chatty Cathy doll, you pull the string and you spot statistics that don’t matter worth a shit! Who cares what he did, he’s no longer that player. Let Marino come in, he has much better stats than Tua does
Here we go again!
I am not interested in just throwing away 90 million dollars because he had one bad season this year. That is my stand on this issue, and it will not change as long as he is on the roster.
Tua is Miami’s best QB and Chris Grier was a great GM…got it.🙄
Childish response:
Chris Grier is no longer here. Move on. But yes, I would still have him because I don’t think he was as bad as some of you do, and that is o
ok. 🙂
“He was not as bad” that should have read. LOL
Grier is the reason we are throwing away 90 million on half a quarterback. Grier is the reason we fielded half team every year. He was mid and that’s why he’s finally gone.
MM is the reason from reports at that time that he was Tua’s biggest backer; it was MM, and Tua even thanked MM for getting the deal done.
Matt LaFleur expected to get Packers extension
I just like many of you want to move on from Tua ASAP, but not at the cost of just “Giving Him” 54 million dollars to go away in a season we will most likely be a rebuilding season in 2026, where winning is most likely not the objective.
Yes, Mike McDaniel did help Tua Tagovailoa get his contract extension. Tagovailoa himself stated that McDaniel “went to bat” for him with the Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, which helped push the negotiations over the finish line.
Key Role in Extension
I know, some of you try to rewrite history to bolster your arguments, but “Get your facts straight”!
Yeah, that’s you rewriting history. Going to bat for someone isn’t giving the contract. Grier gave him the contract. There shouldn’t have been an extension in place to begin with. He should have let him go or just signed for the 1 year like most of us wanted. He was already damaged goods at that point.
If the owner told Grier to pay Tua after he was undemined by MM that what is your point?
“Tagovailoa revealed that McDaniel intervened during a crucial time in the summer of 2024 when contract talks were at a standstill.”
Hmmm… I wonder why the talks were at a standstill and why MM went to the owner to get the deal done? Could it be that our GM, Chris Grier, was not on board with the deal and MM went over his head… Just saying???
I don’t care how Tua got the money, I don’t want to see him play another down for Miami. He is broken and unrepairable, IMO. Sit him, trade him, cut him, whatever. The money is gone anyway. As a fan, it would be insult to injury to have to watch that dude play QB for the Dolphins again.
💯💥
OK Markey – let’s talk like men. You think Sully is going to hire a HC and then evaluate the roster and you think Sully and say Klint Kubiak are going to sit down together and say, hmmm, Tua has a career 97.0 passer rating and has thrown for 18000 yards? Or, do you think they’re going to watch some film of him playing last season?
I have no clue what they will do (neither do you). I’m just saying what I think they should do and not throw away 54 million dollars. Only time will tell what they decide to do, and whatever it is, I will support it.
pieguyevan
says:
January 11, 2026 at 3:17 pm
I see what you did there! 😂
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I’m happy SOMEBODY got it! Thanks, Evan! 😀
this isn’t about markey but about AI. “two best seasons of his career…” Haven’t all of his seasons been under MM? That statement makes it seem like he had worse years under somebody else and MM got the best out of him. Yes, but he also got ALL the worst out of him too. Lol
Tua did play under then-HC Brian Flores.
And if I recall correctly, Tua’s first TD pass was to DaVante Parker.
*DeVante
Ah, shit… Tua played 2 years under then-HC Brian Flores. My memory only thinks it was one year.
Markey,
I’ll tell ya this much… IF Tua is salvageable (which I highly doubt), I wouldn’t have a problem with him competing to be our starting QB in ’26.
But even IF he’s given the opportunity, I think he fails to win the starting job. Capri McD gave him the best of chances to utilize his strengths… and he capsized when the waters got rough. He’s damaged goods, I tell ya.
I can go with that.
I’m beginning to sound like Cris Collinsworth, for crying out loud… “I’ll tell ya!” LOL
Oh, yes, DeVante Parker, just one of many crappy first-round WRs Miami has drafted. Just say no to drafting a first-round receiver this year!
^
100%!!!
Definitely not first round this year.
The money on Tua has already been wasted, on him.
sb7mvp:
It’s easy to blame Grier for everything despite the evidence presented to you. MM went to bat for Tua when they were at a stalemate with Chris Grier (Fact), so why blame our former GM for that deal?
There’s enough blame to go around for everyone: the owner, the former GM, the former HC, and our current emergency 3rd-string damaged QB.
You sir are 100% correct!
Just looking at the current list of players for the Senior Bowl. To be honest, there are only a couple of players on offense that even intrigue me. At least there are a good number more on defense.
Grier had his faults, and I do feel it was time to move on, but that doesn’t mean I will dump on him and blame everything that went wrong on our former GM. I happen to think he did a good job, but failed to get the breaks with the poor health of key players and the incompetence of the head coach.
The Dolphins have moved on from Chris Grier, as have I, and I suggest you all do as well. I will NEVER dump on him because I think he did a very solid job as our GM.
I look forward to what Sully can do!
He didn’t do a solid job. His job was to put players on the field, build the through the draft and keep the salary cap liquid. He failed on all of those accounts. Continually trading up for players who weren’t worth it. Trading multiple first rounders for a wide receiver with off field troubles AND giving him a huge salary. Drafting multiple injury prone players in the first round who were rehabbing injuries. Giving large contracts to injury prone players. Undermining his coaches with roster decisions. Overpaying for junk in free agency.
Yes, teams deal with injuries, but our roster lack of availability was self inflicted because Grier liked projects.
You are entitled to your opinion, as am I, so we will just have to agree to disagree. Nuff Said I’m Out!
Fins Up!
I am almost partial to letting Tua start all next season. I want a top 5 pick. 😉
Grier is gone. MM is gone. I don’t really care who did what. Tua will soon be gone. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.
I think it’s time for me to take a leave from here so folks can get Chris Grier off their minds, it seems like, because he was a favorite of mine, some are obsessed with trying to change my mind, something that will never happen.
Exactly BBM. QB, coach, GM, glad we are moving on. Repair as best we can and move on.
Markey,
There’s no need for you to take a leave from here. We’re going to have a new HC soon, and all that was in the past will be forgotten.
I’ve already moved on from Chris Grier and Capri McD, for example. I’m excited to see what the next chapter brings!
I am telling you Harbaugh will end up with the Falcons. The Falcons fired their GM as well and still have not filled he void. They did hire Matt Ryan to be President of Football Operations. This is about the only team where Harbaugh can come in with the organization and owner giving him complete control over their roster.
Harbaugh made his first stop/interview with the Falcons today.
“The Giants have been recruiting Harbaugh hard since the Ravens fired him on Tuesday,” Pelissero said on NFL GameDay Morning. “The Falcons are the only team that doesn’t have a GM in place, which could allow Harbaugh to bring his preferred guy.
He has until Wednesday to declare for the draft, but it sounds like Dante Moore is going to enter the NFL draft.
Reason being is I just read that former Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola just announced he is transferring to Oregon.
Arch Manning gained another huge target in the transfer portal. The preseason #3 WR Cam Coleman joins WR Ryan Wingo. Texas may have 2 of the top 5 WR’s in college football next year.