Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan offered some strong words on his plans for the team, which is to correct some major issues.
The Miami Dolphins have been categorized as a team that is not as tough as it should be and one that cannot win in cold-weather climates. Both of those major issues are what new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan promised to correct in his first words on landing with the team.
Miami got very busy following the end of the 2025 season, and on the Monday following their season finale, a host of candidates emerged to take over as general manager. Sullivan became a finalist and was offered the job.
Sullivan brings in over 20 years of experience, having worked his way up within the Green Bay Packers organization, initially starting as an operations assistant in the early 2000s.
Being part of a winning organization, Sullivan has seen plenty of success with the Packers, which he can then mimic for the Dolphins. Regarding the team's issues over the course of the past five seasons or so, the new general manager spoke about correcting the team's toughness and narrative that they cannot win in all conditions.
The Dolphins posted a video of Sullivan walking into the team's facility to get started on his duties, and he offered some words on his long-term plans for the organization.
"I think what excites me most is the opportunity to bring a proven process to the Miami Dolphins to build a winner. I think to go to work with a lot of really good people every day and build a team that will become the standard of excellence and chase championships for years to come. Build a tough, physical, talented team that's resilient and can thrive in any situation, any element, and win," Sullivan said.
Sullivan pointed to those main issues as he honed in on building a tough and physical team. Despite the Dolphins bouncing back from a 1-5 record to go 6-3, the long-standing narrative is that the team is not as tough as it should be.
Plenty of former players have gone after the Dolphins for that reason. That is not to say that Miami is not tough, but a culture change has been needed for quite some time.
Sullivan also talked about the team being able to thrive in any situation and element, which is likely pointing to the cold-weather climates constantly being a pain point for the Dolphins.
Despite being the New York Jets in colder weather, the Dolphins folded in even colder weather to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. Until the team can truly win in December against teams in much colder climates, this narrative will continue to follow them.
The Dolphins are going for a full reset for the first time in over a decade, and Sullivan was the first puzzle piece that the organization put forth. The next will be a head coach and a new coaching staff, which will usher in a new era of Miami football.