Miami Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley as head coach: What it means

MIAMI GARDENS — It’s a new era of Miami Dolphins football.

Sources confirmed to ESPN that the Dolphins will hire Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their next head coach, after he impressed team brass during his second interview Monday.

Hafley is a first-time head coach at the NFL level, marking the eighth consecutive first-time head coach the Dolphins have hired. But unlike most of his predecessors, Hafley arrives in South Florida with a blank slate.

He was handpicked by Miami’s new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, who spent two seasons with him in Green Bay as the vice president of player personnel. The team is also prepared to start over at quarterback, after starter Tua Tagovailoa was benched toward the end of the 2025 season.

What does Hafley’s hiring mean for the Dolphins, and what’s next for a franchise that has now tapped the men in charge of its rebuild? ESPN NFL Nation Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, NFL Insider Dan Graziano, senior draft analyst Jordan Reid and senior writer Ben Solak weigh in.

Why Hafley?

First of all, there’s the built-in cohesion between Hafley and Sullivan; they know how to work together already and won’t need to spend time acclimating to one another. Hafley also interviewed well with a Dolphins brain trust that included Sullivan, team owner Stephen Ross, president Tom Garfinkel, Ross’ son-in-law and successor, Daniel Sillman, vice president of football operations Brandon Shore and advisers Troy Aikman and Dan Marino. Hafley also has prior head coaching experience, albeit at the collegiate level (Boston College). — Louis-Jacques

What are realistic short- and long-term expectations for Hafley and the Dolphins?

This coming season will be about laying a new foundation. The Dolphins have some key pieces to build around, but things are more likely to get worse before they get better in terms of the on-field product. Miami plays one of the most difficult schedules in the NFL in 2026 — including away games against Denver, San Francisco, Green Bay and Minnesota, and home matchups against Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago and Detroit — and will have to start over at the most important position, with Tagovailoa’s future with the team currently unclear. Long term, obviously the goal is to compete for Super Bowls — although with quarterbacks Josh Allen and Drake Maye in the AFC East, even getting out of the division will be a challenge. — Louis-Jacques

How will Hafley and Sullivan work together?

Sullivan will build this roster, Hafley will coach it. Sullivan will work alongside Shore and both men will report to Ross, Sillman and Garfinkel. Previous general manager Chris Grier was known to cater to his coaches’ wishes in terms of roster building, but in an interview with the Dolphins’ in-house media released Sunday, Sullivan said that while a few people will have a say in roster moves, ultimately he will make the final decision. — Louis-Jacques

What are we hearing around the league about the hire?

It’s quite a rapid rise for Hafley, who appeared to be on shaky ground as the Boston College head coach a couple of years ago when he jumped to the NFL and the Packers’ defensive coordinator job.

But he earned a lot of praise inside and outside the Packers’ building for what he did during his time there, and his reputation as a college head coach was that of a strong player developer. Players like Zay Flowers and Donovan Ezeiruaku are among those who developed into high NFL draft picks during their time at BC while Hafley was there. Previous head coaching experience, even if it was at the college level and not in the NFL, was something that worked in Hafley’s favor in this process, and once former Packer Sullivan was hired as Miami’s new GM last week, a lot of people began connecting these dots. — Graziano

So, what are Hafley and Sullivan going to do about Tua and wideout Tyreek Hill?

Tagovailoa and Hill represent a $108 million cap hit this season, and the safe bet is that both players will not return on their current deals. Designating Hill as a post-June 1 cut seems like the most fiscally reasonable solution, considering it’s still unclear how long it will take him to return from the dislocated knee he suffered last season.

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Cutting Tagovailoa would result in a $99 million dead cap hit, whether it’s all at once this season or spread across the next two seasons; trading him will be tricky considering his play over the past two seasons and the money he’s owed. After an injury-shortened 2024 season, Tagovailoa led the NFL in interceptions at the time of his benching this season with a career-high 15, while sporting a career-low 37.4 QBR. Miami could sweeten the pot for any suitor by including a draft pick in the trade. — Louis-Jacques

How can they most effectively improve the team with their first-round pick (No. 11)?

A common theme among first-year general managers is addressing the trenches, and we could see that in Miami. Both the offensive and defensive lines are in need of young building blocks. Right tackle is an obvious positional need, with question marks surrounding Austin Jackson’s durability and looming free agency after next season. The new Dolphins regime could look to Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who is a consistent blocker at 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds, at No. 11 in Round 1. But Utah’s Spencer Fano is another name to watch; he’s a physical right tackle who projects as a plug-and-play starter in the NFL. Pairing left tackle Patrick Paul with either of these guys would provide Miami with bookend tackles for the foreseeable future and give Hafley some improved pass protection. — Reid

How would you grade this hire?

B. It’s a pretty typical first-time head coach hiring. We know a few things about Hafley — enough to have some faith but not enough to create a whole picture. He immediately elevated the Packers’ defense when he took the job in 2024 and proved for two seasons he could coach well around a shaky cornerback room — not an easy thing to do in the NFL, considering how good the opposing passing games are today. Hafley runs the sort of creative stuff that’s en vogue these days — including simulated pressures and coverage rotations — and he has a college background to help translate the game to younger players.

It’s unclear just how strong Hafley’s Rolodex of coordinators/assistants will be, and though he coached well around deficiencies in Green Bay, he never had a truly dominant unit. The Packers are generally a smart franchise, so pulling a HC-GM duo from their ranks feels strong. But this is a wait-and-see spot. — Solak