South Beach has finally eschewed mediocrity in favor of an undeniable rebuild for the meandering Miami Dolphins.
Turn out the lights, the party’s over.
With a little help from Willie Nelson, former NFL quarterback and narrator Don Meredith would routinely herald closing time before it was cool on the original editions of Monday Night Football. Alas for all but one of football’s 32 finest, it’s over before the desired Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist, as the season, or at least the championship-contending portion of it, has come to an end.
With that in mind, TeamFB7 goes over the season that was for the fallen, looking at what was, what is, and what could be. The offseason previews take their talents to South Beach, as the next part focuses on the Miami Dolphins …
Team: Miami Dolphins
Record: 7-10
Date of Playoff Death: Dec. 15
Last Playoff Season: 2023
What Went Wrong
This is one South Beach reclamation project that just couldn’t be salvaged.
The Dolphins were best-positioned to take advantage of the Tom Brady-induced power vacuum in the AFC East: they cleared their throats with a pair of winning seasons at the start of the decade under the watch of head coach Brian Flores but conflicts with the current Minnesota defensive coordinator led to them turning the reigns over to the latest offensive guru on the assistant ranks in Mike McDaniel.
With that in mind and with Buffalo usurping the post-Brady throne (before New England staged its shocking Super Bowl showing), Miami made big swings in the draft and the free agency front: entering this season, Miami had a $66 million commitment to Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa alone, and that was before the $39 million-plus dedicated to Jordyn Brooks, Bradley Chubb, Austin Jackson, Zach Sieler, and Jaylen Waddle … as well as dead money recently accrued with some recent releases, not to mention the prior departures of Terron Armstead and Jalen Ramsey … were factored in.
The bestower of those contracts, tenured general manager Chris Grier, departed shortly after enduring a one-sided loss to Baltimore, ending his decade-long tenured in the spot.
At the center of it all was the franchise quarterback Tagovailoa, whose hints of brilliance were frequently interrupted by injury but that didn’t stop Miami management from granting him a nine-figure contract extension in the summer of 2024. Such spending cost them some notable names, particularly on the defensive front over the past few years (i.e. Jevon Holland, Xavien Howard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Wilkins, locker room leader and continued producer Calais Campbell) but Miami’s offensive set-up seemed to bode decently well to compete, even with cracks forming during an eight-win showing in 2024.
Tagovailoa stayed healthy this time but failed to provide any justification for his new payday. Amidst a dreary 1-6 start, Tagovailoa lost 11 turnovers and never recovered from the early loss of Hill to a knee injury. The quarterback didn’t help matters through a public dressing-down of teammates as the season slipped further away.
A very honest — and glaring — set of comments from #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who mentioned “leadership” and pointed out that some have been late or haven’t shown up to meetings when discussing the team’s 1-5 start.pic.twitter.com/hYQmi0lwNn
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 12, 2025
Rock bottom came in a 25-point loss to lowly Cleveland, one that featured three Tagovailoa turnovers and saw the Dolphins lose a game where they let up but 206 yards in dramatically one-sided fashion.
Miami provided a bit of false hope by fattening up on junk food, winning five of six in a streak that admittedly featured a blowout win over the mighty Bills. Reality returned once the Dolphins started facing teams that had something to play for again, as an ugly primetime loss to Pittsburgh sealed their fate. With nothing to lose, Miami canned the Tagovailoa era, putting seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers in charge of the operation for the last three games.
Tagovailoa wasn’t the only one who regressed amidst the Dolphins’ downfall, even if some issues (injuries on the offensive line, such as James Daniels going down just three snaps into the season) that forced them to turn to New England castaway Cole Strange) were unavoidable. McDaniel’s inability to adjust, be it to defenses or weather, marked the end of his tenure. Waddle had better yardage despite the relative passing horrors but averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per game. A defense that ranked fourth last season fell to 22nd, as early struggles for first-round pick Kenneth Grant produced major holes in stopping the run.
Grant (as well as rookie fifth-round pick Jordan Phillips) eventually found something of a groove, particularly for an inconsistent pressure game (21st in percentage) but that was far from enough to save Grier: the past three drafts haven’t generated any long-term momentum beyond 2023 third-rounder De’Von Achane and that’s when the Dolphins have had significant capital.
Grier’s recent wheeling and dealing left them with just two selections within the first 142 this time around, with disappointing second-round blocker Jonah Savaiinaea joining Grant in the growing pains department. Chop Robinson, the headliner from 2024 (and the first opening-round pick the Dolphins had since Waddle), also struggled again, but the fact he spent a good bit of this season struggling with injury should buy him a little time. Their top two picks from the prior couple of seasons (relegated to the second round in the leap for Waddle and punishment for Tom Brady tampering) are already gone: Channing Tindall is in Arizona while Cam Smith starts UFL play next month.
Veterans were equally guilty of the defensive downfall: the late signing of previous Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon failed to manifest anything of note and he was released after 13 games. Jaelan Phillips failed to fully find his strength back after ending the prior two tours on injured reserve, though he certainly started to re-emerge once he was traded to Philadelphia at the deadline. Interior threat Zach Sieler landed an eight-figure extension but didn’t record a sack until early November, perhaps plagued by the departures of Campbell and Wilkins.
With that in mind, the Dolphins pulled back the doors, busted open the books, and made a call for help … to Troy Aikman and the Green Bay Packers. Shortly after helping with the ascension of Lambeau front office staple Jon-Eric Sullivan to Miami general manager, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback was part of another search committee to find the new head coach after McDaniel was ousted (who was also said to be consulting on the general manager search). The winner in that department was Jeff Hafley, who has spent the decade between the top spot at Boston College and the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
Silver Linings
— For all the issues on offense, the Dolphins did manage to find enough blocking traction to ensure that Achane visited the end zone a dozen times and that the next quarterback should adequately protected. The continued breakout of center Aaron Brewer (who allowed one sack in 16 appearances, making up for another lost season for Liam Eichenberg, who spent the whole year on the PUP list) yielded All-Pro honors as he continues to establish himself as an NFL staple after coming in as an undrafted entrant in 2020. It’s been a while since Miami had any form of consistency at the left tackle spot but Patrick Paul filled in admirably for Armstead. It could be a year of transition for the offensive line otherwise — the team already moved from Daniels and fellow injury victim Austin Jackson could be released for cap space — but there’s at least a strong foundation to work with on the front five.
Nobody had more tackles than Jordyn Brooks 💪@MiamiDolphins | #PhinsUp pic.twitter.com/564fo5zPY3
— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2026
— Grier’s term had clearly run its South Beach course but some of his final hours could prove equally foundational: Achane has the makings of a lasting dual-threat and he also appeared to strike gold with the 2024 edition of ex-Seattle linebacker Jordyn Brooks. It’s perhaps easy to brush another season where he leads the league in tackles aside in an era where the number carries a double-edged notion, but Brooks turned into a sterling leader at age 28 upon the aforementioned veteran departures. Brooks also kept up his backfield visitation consistent (24 tackles for a loss in his two South Beach seasons) and his average target on receivers he was recovering was at a career-best 3.1 yards. Grier’s mistakes clearly outweighed his successes, but the yields could truly make their presence felt in his absence.
Looking Ahead
Notable Free Agents: P Jake Bailey, OT Larry Borom, LS Joe Cardona, G James Daniels, S Ashtyn Davis, CB Rasul Douglas, G Liam Eichenberg, WR Tyreek Hill, CB Jack Jones, CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, K Riley Patterson, G Cole Strange, TE Darren Waller, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, QB Zach Wilson
Potential Cap Cuts: LB Bradley Chubb ($20.2 million*), CB Minkah Fitzpatrick ($15.6 million*), OT Austin Jackson ($11.1 million*), K Jason Sanders ($3.9 million), FB Alec Ingold ($3 million), LB Tyrel Dodson ($2.9 million)
(*-post-June 1)
Miami wasted no time in changing the guard, unofficially heralding the start of the offseason with the reported releases of Chubb, Daniels, Hill, and Westbrook-Ikhine. Those departures got the Dolphins back to just over $3 million under the salary cap and the Miami exodus might not be over yet.
The elephant in the room, of course is Tagovailoa, who has a hefty contract to move. Any deal for Tagovailoa will require the Dolphins to take on eight figures in dead space, so the focus turns to getting anything they can for the false prophet under center. If he’s released outright, Tagovailoa would carry an unprecedented cap penalty of just under $100 million.
BREAKING: QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins agree to terms on four-year, $212.4M extension. (via @RapSheet + @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/oXoYjD7Isn
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2024
Other names on the trade block for further capital could include Fitzpatrick, as Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports mentioned that the two-term Dolphin has lingered conversations with other teams. Waddle, signer of an $84 million extension in 2024 and $4.8 million saving if he’s traded after June 1, heard his name at the cusp of deadline rumors, yet it feels only a truly ironclad offer would ship him elsewhere. At the trajectory of this rebuild, however, the Dolphins may have their find.
Then, of course, the question becomes what Miami will do about Tagovailoa’s successor, obviously its biggest offseason need. Ewers probably did well enough to warrant an extensive look in training camp, especially with Wilson probably gone after he never got any notable snaps. But there’s no doubt that Miami, choosing 11th at this spring’s draft, will have an eye on the free agent front. The most realistic football fanfiction in South Beach will likely center on another Packer, as Malik Willis drew his share of suitors after taking over for an injured Jordan Love.
Is There Hope?
Yes … in 2027, if not later.
The Dolphins have done the prudent thing by essentially admitting defeat on this era, one that aimed for a big leap but couldn’t break fast the mere playoff win ceiling (a structure that has been untouched since the turn of the century). The fact that they wasted no time in making financially-necessary moves shows that they’re willing to take their licks in the early stages of the Packer pair era instead of trying to stumble tail-backward into the postseason and hope for the best.
Putting those moves on paper, of course, was the easy part. How it looks on the field will likely have fans begging for the fleeting glory days Tagovailoa and Co. brought about. With Buffalo still somehow empty-handed and the New England Patriots having swiftly recovered from their post-Brady swoon, the Dolphins are in for some lean times while they potentially bid farewell to even more names from the prior era of presumed contention. Miami mediocrity will no longer be a norm … for a sour South Floridian price.
Previous Obituaries
- New York Giants
- Arizona Cardinals
- New Orleans Saints
- Tennessee Titans
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Washington Commanders
- Atlanta Falcons
- New York Jets
- Cleveland Browns
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Minnesota Vikings
- Kansas City Chiefs
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
