The Miami Dolphins have spent the last several weeks dismantling what once was one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill were released, while Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Denver Broncos for a massive haul.
With new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan seemingly willing to trade anyone with a pulse, speculation inevitably turned to De’Von Achane and whether the Green Bay Packers might reunite with their former front office executive to land the league’s most dynamic running back. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, who covers the Packers, recently threw cold water on that idea.
Packers Won’t Land De’Von Achane Despite the Jon-Eric Sullivan Connection
The connection between Green Bay and Miami’s new regime is impossible to ignore. Sullivan spent years as the Packers’ vice president of player personnel before taking the Dolphins’ GM job this offseason. He brought former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley with him to serve as head coach and signed backup quarterback Malik Willis away from Green Bay.
If anyone could pick up the phone and make a deal happen, it would be Brian Gutekunst calling his former right-hand man.
Schneidman acknowledged the appeal. “The thought of trading for Achane crossed my mind when I saw former longtime Packers personnel man Jon-Eric Sullivan, now the Miami Dolphins GM, trade Jaylen Waddle,” he wrote in his Thursday mailbag. “Achane is only 24, and he’s one of the NFL’s most explosive backs. Jacobs is probably near the end of his prime at 28 years old.”
“Achane, a 2023 third-round pick, has one year left on his rookie deal and could share a backfield with Jacobs before taking over next season after getting paid,” he wrote. “It wouldn’t be hard for Gutekunst to ring up his former second-in-command, either. However, Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Sullivan has told interested teams that Achane is not available. So much for that!”
The timing made the dream scenario all the more tantalizing. Achane is coming off a breakout campaign where he rushed for a career-high 1,350 yards and led the league with 5.7 yards per carry.
He added 67 receptions for 488 yards and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. According to PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, Achane finished last season as the second-best running back in the league with an impact score of 97.1. At 24, his best years are still ahead of him.
Packers’ Running Back Room Needs Answers in 2026
Green Bay’s backfield situation heading into 2026 is murkier than it appeared a year ago. Josh Jacobs was brilliant early in the 2025 season, ranking as a top-five fantasy back through the first 10 weeks with 11 rushing touchdowns. Then a knee injury in Week 11 changed everything.
Jacobs missed Week 12 entirely and was clearly diminished upon his return, managing just 929 rushing yards on 4.0 yards per carry for the season after averaging 4.4 the year before. According to PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, he finished the season as the 20th-ranked running back.
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The depth behind Jacobs offers little reassurance. MarShawn Lloyd, the 2024 third-round pick the Packers hoped would develop into Jacobs’ eventual replacement, has been a disaster from a health standpoint.
Lloyd has appeared in exactly one regular-season game across two NFL seasons, spending four separate stints on injured lists due to a cascade of soft-tissue problems. Hamstring injuries, a groin pull, a calf injury, and an emergency appendectomy have combined to derail what was supposed to be a promising career.
Emanuel Wilson provided solid backup work for three seasons, but the Packers declined to tender him as a restricted free agent this month. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks for $2.1 million, leaving Green Bay with Jacobs, Lloyd (whenever he’s healthy), and Chris Brooks as the primary running back options.
The Dolphins may be tearing their roster down to the studs, but Sullivan has repeatedly identified Achane as a building block for the future. That doesn’t mean the situation can’t change.
If Miami continues losing and Sullivan decides he’d rather stockpile picks than pay Achane a significant extension next offseason, the right offer might be enough to pry him loose. The Packers have the draft capital and the relationship to make it happen.
