Miami Dolphins fans around the world were relieved when owner Stephen Ross finally moved on from long-time general manager Chris Grier midway through last season. He had failed to build a cohesive roster capable of ending the long playoff-win drought the franchise has suffered since the turn of the century, and it became clear that he wasn't the man for the job.
In the wake of his dismissal, the job of guiding the Dolphins through the rest of the season fell to senior personnel executive Champ Kelly. Kelly had spent nearly two decades in various roles in front offices in Denver, Chicago, and Las Vegas before landing with Miami in 2025. After spending the second half of the season as interim GM, Miami replaced him with Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Kelly was kept on by Miami in his previous role as a senior executive, but CBS's Jonathan Jones reported Wednesday that he has been officially let go. Just hours earlier, fellow CBS reporter Matt Zenitz announced that the Dolphins had hired former Jaguars executive Josh Scobey, seemingly as his replacement.
The Miami Dolphins move on from 2025 interim GM Champ Kelly following NFL Draft
It's not surprising to see Sullivan want to switch up his front office now that the NFL Draft is in the past. He likely wanted to keep those who had been preparing for the draft with an understanding of Miami's roster around before looking to bring in his own guys.
Kelly didn't do much to stand out in his short stint as interim GM to make Sullivan want to keep him around. He had the opportunity to trade both Bradley Chubb and Jaylen Waddle at last year's deadline, but he ultimately chose to keep both around.
Sullivan has since cut Chubb and traded Waddle to the Denver Broncos. The fact that Kelly didn't move Waddle ended up being a wash, but Sullivan likely wishes he had traded Chubb for a real asset instead of being forced to release him once he took over.
Kelly's dismissal is likely less to do with anything he did wrong and more to do with Sullivan wanting to make his own picks for key roles in the organization. I won't be surprised if Kelly lands a new job rather quickly as teams make changes before the 2026 season starts in earnest.
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