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The Dolphins quarterback situation remains fluid, with new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan acknowledging there’s still “too much work to do” before finalizing their plans for the upcoming season.
Sullivan offered praise for Tua Tagovailoa during Thursday’s introductory press conference alongside head coach Jeff Hafley, but he didn’t commit to Tua as the long-term answer under center.
What’s clear is Miami’s approach: build a complete team first, then find your quarterback.
“We need to get the quarterback situation in place, but we’re not going to do it in an irresponsible manner where we sacrifice building the infrastructure of this football team,” Sullivan explained. “When we do find our guy, he can be successful. We’ve all seen teams that go about it maybe in a questionable manner and you get a really good quarterback, but he can’t stay healthy because he’s getting killed or he doesn’t have anybody to throw to.”
The quarterback could be Tagovailoa, rookie Quinn Ewers, or someone not currently on the roster – Sullivan isn’t tipping his hand yet.
The Tua situation is complicated by his massive contract extension. After throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and failing to reach 200 passing yards in eight of 14 games last season, he was benched for rookie Ewers with three games remaining. Following the season, Tagovailoa hinted at wanting a fresh start elsewhere.
But money talks. The Dolphins would absorb a $99 million dead cap hit by releasing Tua before June 1. That number drops to $67.4 million after June 1, with an additional $31.8 million hit in 2027.
Sullivan isn’t afraid to shake things up at quarterback.
Learning from Packers’ Quarterback Succession
Sullivan’s time in Green Bay shaped his quarterback philosophy.
“I’ve learned if you can help it, don’t wait until you don’t have a quarterback to find one,” he said, referencing the Packers’ controversial decision to draft Aaron Rodgers while Brett Favre was still playing at a high level.
That move wasn’t popular at the time.
“The quarterback position is the most important position in sports, in my opinion,” Sullivan emphasized. “We’re going to invest in that position every year if we can. Now, depending on where we are as a football team, it’ll be at different values. But we will draft quarterbacks every year, if not every other year, because I think you have to.”
His strategy isn’t just about finding one guy – it’s about building depth and options.
“If you hit on a guy, great, and if not, if you hit on two, you have trade value.”
Hafley’s offensive vision centers around a physical run game – regardless of who’s taking snaps.
The new head coach plans to hire an offensive coordinator whose scheme will incorporate elements that challenged him as a defensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Hafley will personally call the defensive plays.
“That’s really important to me and I have a plan in place with potential hires that will allow me to be the head coach in the offseason,” Hafley said. “Kind of like how I watched Kyle Shanahan do it and kind of like how I watched Matt [LaFleur] do it in Green Bay — but I am going to call plays. It’s really important to me. It connects me with that group.”
Hafley promises energy and attention to detail, emphasizing that both offensively and defensively, “it’s all going to start with fundamentals and technique to me.”
