What a wild couple of days for the Miami Dolphins. Right on the heels of firing head coach Mike McDaniel, they've already landed on a new general manager in Green Bay Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan.
In a roundabout way, this may say a lot about the Dolphins' thinking when it comes to their head coaching search. Either they're convinced they've found their guy already, or Sullivan at least has some strong preferences in mind to sign off on.
Does that automatically mean it's John Harbaugh, though? Given Sullivan's Packers backstory, there's a real chance he could bring in a shocking, X-factor hire with whom he's very familiar.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur could follow Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami after NFL playoffs
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross will spend whatever it takes to build a winner. McDaniel wasn't some top candidate when he was hired who commanded a big payday. Thus, I'd expect Ross to go big-game hunting on this head coaching cycle.
Now that Sullivan is the GM, Dolphins fans should keep a close eye on Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
As our friends at Lombardi Ave pointed out recently, LaFleur is underpaid in Green Bay. If he decided he wanted a change of scenery, LaFleur would be the top coach on the market right away, other than Harbaugh. And in some ways, certain teams might prefer the offensive-minded LaFleur.
The Packers are playing on Wild Card Weekend, but it's rather likely that they'll be subjected to a one-and-done exit against the second-seeded Chicago Bears in the Windy City. That'd mean only one playoff victory in LaFleur's last five seasons.
LaFleur's contract expires after the 2027 season. If he and Green Bay determine they're too far apart money-wise, they could very well mutually agree to part ways.
Lots of hypotheticals there. The point is, the Dolphins could outbid the Packers with ease for LaFleur's services. Green Bay wouldn't want a discontented head coach sticking around while being underpaid. That's not good for anyone in the organization.
Another major selling point for LaFleur to Miami is the fact that the Dolphins don't have a legitimate solution at the quarterback position for 2026 and beyond. Rather than riding with Quinn Ewers, a Sullivan-LaFleur combination would make Miami a wildly appealing landing spot for Malik Willis, the Packers' backup and free-agent-to-be who'll be among the most coveted available QBs.
Stranger things have happened in the NFL, have they not?
It's possible Sullivan goes a little smaller and hires Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as Miami's new coach. However, if the Fins aren't going to go big with Harbaugh, why not try to land LaFleur instead?