The Miami Dolphins aren't pulling any punches when it comes to overhauling their organization, and they've moved quickly to secure their new general manager in the wake of firing head coach Mike McDaniel.
Nary 24 hours removed from McDaniel's exit, Miami hired the Green Bay Packers' VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new GM, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Sullivan has his work cut out to get the Dolphins back to contender status, to say the least. The AFC East is a beast dominated by the Bills and Patriots, not to mention the rest of the formidable teams in the conference.
Let's dive deeper into Sullivan's background to see what his hire can foreshadow about the direction the Dolphins will take under his stewardship.
Jon-Eric Sullivan's Packers background bodes well for Miami Dolphins' rebuild
Pretty much everything that hamstrung or limited Sullivan during his time in Green Bay is fair game for him in Miami.
Think about it. The Packers are a super small market. A publicly owned franchise. Their team is dependent perhaps more than any other on nailing the draft, maximizing their in-house talent, and hopefully retaining those players — some on hometown discount deals.
That formula may be frustrating for Cheesehead supporters, yet it's paid huge dividends over the years. Super Bowls have been harder to come by than you'd expect with a run of quarterbacks from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers and now Jordan Love. Nevertheless, the Packers' stability and on-field consistency are the envy of many other teams.
Contrast all those points with what the Dolphins represent. They have an owner in Stephen Ross who'll spare no expense to win. Huge market. No state income tax. A desirable geographic destination for free agents to be a part of a whole new, exciting era.
Sullivan is going to feel like an overgrown kid in a figurative football candy store. Now, the first order of business is to figure out which head coach he'll join forces with. Could it be someone from the Packers? Or is it possible that John Harbaugh will rock with him?
As far as personnel, the top priority for Sullivan is determining how to best get out from under the salary cap anvil that is Tua Tagovailoa's exorbitant contract.
As long as Sullivan plays his cards right on the Tua issue, makes the obvious decisions like cutting Tyreek Hill, and taps into the draft magic that he was a pivotal part of in Green Bay, the Dolphins should be off and running.