Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired as the new general manager of the Miami Dolphins to replace Chris Grier, who was recently fired. The franchise is making major changes ahead of the 2026 NFL season, including firing head coach Mike McDaniel. Here’s a closer look at their new GM as they seek to take a different direction.
Who Is the New Dolphins GM, Jon-Eric Sullivan, and What Is His NFL Background?
Sullivan has spent his entire NFL career thus far with the Green Bay Packers, beginning there as an intern in the scouting department in 2003. He was hired as their National Football Scouting representative in the following year and remained with the organization until 2026, when the Dolphins hired him to become their new general manager.
NFL insider Adam Schefter recently reported that Sullivan has worked closely with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, especially since 2022, when he was promoted to the team’s vice president of player personnel.
In 2025, Gutekunst issued a statement about Sullivan when asked if he would continue with the team. “Yeah, Jon-Eric’s a huge part of our process,” Gutekunst said. “Certainly someone that I’ve worked with for a very long time and leaned on for a lot of things. He’s absolutely 100 percent ready to run his own show, and I think that time’s coming.”
Before his promotion, he held various roles within the franchise, primarily focusing on scouting and player personnel, under several different job titles.
Sullivan has been in Green Bay since 2003, starting as a scouting intern. He has served as the Packers’ vice president of player personnel since 2022, working closely with GM Brian Gutekunst.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2026
This will be his first opportunity to serve as a general manager himself, and also his first time working for a different NFL team other than the Packers. He will directly replace Grier, for whom Miami has been diligently seeking a replacement, and even hired Troy Aikman as a consultant for the search process.
NFL insider Dianna Russini reported that Aikman showed the most support for hiring Sullivan, so they apparently took his advice. “I was told Troy Aikman was his biggest supporter entering this process,” she wrote on X.
I was told Troy Aikman was his biggest supporter entering this process. https://t.co/xyye6Zb5Hd
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 9, 2026
One of the first major tasks that will fall on Sullivan this year will be making his selection for their next head coach. The rest of the franchise leadership, including owner Stephen Ross, will likely have serious input in the candidates, but most of the time, the general manager gets to make the final decision for this important role.
They will need to find a replacement for McDaniel, who was fired following the conclusion of the 2025 season after missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year. One of the most concerning factors during his time as their head coach was the regression in their offense, which is supposed to be his specialty.
The Dolphins have finished significantly lower in PFSN Offense Impact Rankings in each of the past two years, dropping from a ranked second in 2023 to 19th for the 2025 season. They have also missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, so changes to their leadership structure were apparently necessary.
