Chris Grier's parting gift to the Dolphins is a $149 million nightmare

Every Miami Dolphins fan felt that Chris Grier had far overstayed his welcome in South Beach by the time he was fired on Halloween day last season. The reality is that Grier seemed to find himself deep in a hole, with the only option to save his job being to keep on digging. The franchise's future be damned, Grier had chased the highs of the 2023 season with hefty extensions for multiple veterans, and when the 2024 Dolphins outfit cratered back to earth, he was on notice.

By now, we all know how the story ended. 2025 was one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. Alas, there was one glorious reward for fans' pain and suffering. A full house cleaning, from Chris Grier to Mike McDaniel to several longtime executives, has left the Dolphins starting from scratch. This is the result fans have been clamoring for over the better part of the last decade.

A damning post from Spotrac seemed to throw some extra salt on fans' wounds, while simultaneously painting a jarring picture of the Miami Dolphins' disastrous cap situation.

The Miami Dolphins will suit up in 2026 with nearly half their cap devoted to players no longer on the roster

With the five largest cap hits of the roster devoted to players who will be suiting up elsewhere in 2026, the Dolphins are truly in a league of their own. Only two other NFL franchises will have more than two former players taking up their top five cap hits — the Saints and the Jets (who have three apiece) — quite literally the most embarrassing company to be in.

The Dolphins will see some relief from the Bradley Chubb deal on June 2, which will push Jaylen Waddle's cap hit into the top five. That would then place Zach Sieler's hit at sixth, leaving Chubb with the seventh-highest cap hit, followed by Jordyn Brooks ($10.8 million) and finally Terron Armstead ($10.7 million) to round out the top nine. So, even with the relief that's to come, the Dolphins will surrender roughly $140 million in cap space to seven players who won't be on the team.

This is the part where I must remind you that the salary cap is $301.2 million. The 2026 Dolphins will have to play with one hand effectively tied behind their backs. This isn't MLB. There aren't supposed to be teams with such a financial disadvantage. That is the carnage Chris Grier left in his wake, however, and what Jon-Eric Sullivan has set out to clean up.

The initial signs are promising. Rather than going for broke in free agency and kicking the can down the road, Jon-Eric Sullivan and Co. have handed out exactly one multi-year contract — to quarterback Malik Willis — while betting on high-upside veterans on minimal contracts otherwise.

If there's one position where it's worth taking a risk, it's at quarterback. If Willis is unable to show tangible signs of being a franchise signal-caller, the Dolphins will organically be in a position to select their future face of the franchise in the 2027 NFL Draft. Whether or not Willis turns out to be a hit, the Dolphins will be flush with cap space next season ($129.5 million) to augment the roster around their QB.

So buckle up, Dolphins fans. While there may be a healthy dose of medicine-taking in 2026, the future is bright in 2027 and beyond.