When Jeff Hafley agreed to become the Miami Dolphins’ next head coach, he had to understand what was coming in the short term. The only way for the Dolphins to move forward was to clean house. It wasn’t going to be a fun short-term experience, but it needed to be done.
The Dolphins started the week by beginning that process. Bradley Chubb, acquired in 2022 from the Denver Broncos for a package that included a first-round draft pick, was reportedly cut. Tyreek Hill, acquired in 2022 for five picks including a first-rounder and coming off a serious knee injury, is reportedly out too. Guard James Daniels, signed to a three-year, $24 million deal less than a year ago, was also let go.
And everyone is waiting for resolution on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If he is let go, the resulting record dead cap hit will certainly signal the obvious: This is a full rebuild. Check back in 2027 (or 2028 … or 2029), Dolphins fans.
“As we piece this thing together, it's going to take time and there's going to be a lot of hard work, but then it's going to be built the right way,” Hafley said when he was introduced to the media.
The “going to take time” part of that seemed most relevant Monday.
Dolphins roster being turned over
When the Dolphins were getting aggressive in trading and paying players like Hill and Chubb, they viewed themselves as contenders. A hot start in 2023, which included a 70-point eruption against the Broncos, turned out to be a mirage.
For all of the big moves the Dolphins made, they never even won a playoff game. They still have the longest gap between playoff wins. Their last one came in 2000. Hafley started his coaching career in 2001.
That’s what will make the rebuild sting even worse. There wasn’t a division title, home playoff game or playoff win to show for anything the past few years. And now it gets torn down again.
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Cutting Hill, Chubb and Daniels cleared $34.4 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, which the Dolphins had to do to get cap compliant. There’s not a ton of cap space to work with. There are a couple of extra third-round picks via trades and the Dolphins will get a quality player at 11th overall in April. But they don’t have a lot of difference makers on the roster, and it’s possible new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has other moves planned, via more cuts or a trade of someone like Jaylen Waddle. There will be a lot of players on the way out, and not a lot of resources to bring new talent in.
Miami’s roster could look bleak this season. Sullivan knew what he had to do to clean up a cap mess and a roster that wasn’t good enough to compete in the AFC East. It still will be difficult. And the Dolphins haven’t even figured out the quarterback situation.
The Dolphins’ quarterback dilemma
Sullivan was asked when he first met the media about what happens next for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ future at quarterback.
“Obviously that's a huge question looming over the organization,” Sullivan said. “I'd be naïve to think that everybody doesn't understand that.”
It seems impossible for the Dolphins to reconcile with Tagovailoa after his play bottomed out, especially after his most recent concussion, and he was benched last season. The Dolphins would take on a staggering $99.2 million in dead money to cut him, which would be a record, and if it’s designated as a post-June 1 move it would be $67.2 million this year and $31.8 million in 2027, according to Over The Cap. Miami wants to trade Tagovailoa but that seems unlikely unless the Dolphins take on most of his salary. You can overcome a massive dead hit, as the Broncos did with Russell Wilson, but it’s difficult. Especially when there’s a ton of other dead cap hits on the books. And the Dolphins don’t have an obvious path to get a new quarterback, especially considering how few can’t-miss quarterback prospects there are in this year’s NFL Draft.
The Dolphins seem destined to go into the season with a cheap quarterback, putting that decision off a season, very few blue-chip players to build around, plenty of rookies and bargain free agents contributing, with a first-time NFL head coach leading it all in a division that includes the Patriots and Bills, two very good teams. It’s going to be ugly.
Dolphins fans are used to ugly. They haven’t seen their team win a playoff game in a quarter century. But this seems different. It might be a while before there’s hope again in Miami.