Candidates to be the Next Dolphins General Manager

Candidates to be the Next Dolphins General Manager

From all reports, the Miami Dolphins general manager search will hit the ground running on Monday morning, the day after the season ends. As of now, there are not expected to be many general manager roles open across the league this offseason, so Miami will have little competition in this cycle, it appears, unless there is a rash of surprise general manager firings on Monday.

Although if Miami keeps Mike McDaniel, some candidates may not view the Miami job as ideal and may refuse to interview for it, knowing they’ll be forced to have a head coach imposed on them, and that he won’t be allowed to hire his own head coach on Day One.

Either way, the search now involves Troy Aikman assisting the Dolphins’ front office, and there is a long list of candidates. 

Below are some of the names Miami is most likely to reach out to. There are other names out there that I haven’t included on the list, as it would be impossible to list all the possibilities.

Miami has made it clear they are looking for someone with a scouting background, so in the names below, look for people with a long history working their way up the ladder as a scout and/or director of college scouting, and similar titles. Those are probably names closer to the top of Miami’s list if we are taking an educated guess.

Ray Agnew: Assistant General Manager for the Detroit Lions

Agnew probably should have gotten an NFL general manager position last offseason, and he is poised to be one of the first people hired in this next cycle come January 2026. He has been the Assistant General Manager with the Lions since 2021, and during that time, the Lions have had a ton of success building a championship-caliber roster, a success he has been part of. Before that, he was the director of pro personnel for the Los Angeles Rams from 2017 to 2020. The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2022, but make no mistake, Ray Agnew played a part in how that team was built as well.

Terrance Gray: Assistant General Manager, Buffalo Bills

Maybe the fastest rising star in any NFL front office right now. He recently interviewed for the Raiders’ and Chargers’ general manager positions but didn’t get either. He also interviewed with the Titans to be their GM. The Bills were so afraid of losing him that to ensure he didn’t leave for a lateral or semi-lateral position, they promoted him to assistant general manager this past May. He has worked his way up the ranks as a scout, and before becoming the assistant GM, he was the director of player personnel for the last three years. The bonus here is if Miami were to hire him, you hurt the Bills in the process, which is always nice.

Chad Alexander: Assistant General Manager, LA Chargers

He is from that Ravens front office tree that has produced so many shining stars across the NFL.  He was with the Ravens’ front office from 1999 to 2009, serving in various roles, including Player Personnel Assistant, Area Scout, and Assistant Director of Pro Personnel. He would have probably been promoted more up the food chain, but the Ravens were just loaded with so many talented front office people. He then went to the Jets as their Director of Player Personnel, working for Joe Douglas. Obviously, that situation with the Jets was a mess. Still, he was able to secure an Assistant General Manager position with the Chargers, working for another former Ravens front-office star. And we all see how that Chargers roster looks right now.

Jon-Eric Sullivan: Green Bay Packers Vice President of Player Personnel

The name Albert Breer of SI put out that as a possibility for the Dolphins’ opening. A lifer with the Green Bay Packers, starting there as an intern in 2003, and working his way up the corporate ladder. He has been the Packers’ Vice President of Player Personnel since 2022. Before that, he was the co-director of player personnel, and before that, the director of college scouting. He has worked every possible role you want one to work before they become a general manager. He is more than qualified for a general manager job, so much so that he interviewed for every general manager opening last season. All 4 openings. He didn’t land the job, but he is ready to be an NFL GM.

According to all reports, the Dolphins want someone with a scouting background. Sullivan has checked every box of being a region scout, director of college scouting, and so on and so forth. I don’t know if there is a “favorite” for this opening in Miami, but because Breer dropped his name, I would expect this to be a name Dolphins fans watch closely.

Josh Williams: Director of Scouting and Football Operations, San Francisco 49ers

The other name, Albert Breer of SI, dropped in his latest article. If Miami decides to keep Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins want to hire someone with ties to McDaniel to have some “synergy” in the front office, then Williams is a name to watch. He has spent 14 seasons in San Francisco and, prior to this role, five seasons as a national scout and, before that, as an area scout. If the Dolphins hire Josh Williams, it says more about the investment Stephen Ross is making in Mike McDaniel, because Williams will be here for a few years, and the only reason you would hire him is to work with McDaniel, given their previous relationship.

Alec Halaby: Assistant General Manager, Philadelphia Eagles

Once again, and I sound like a broken record, one of the fastest rising stars in NFL Front Offices around the league. He is only 39 years old, which is a little young for a position like this. But I know since he is coming from the Eagles, people won’t care and will be like, “just hire him.”

If it were only that simple.

He started as an intern with the Eagles in 2007 and worked his way up the ranks to be an assistant general manager. Because he is coming from Philadelphia, nobody will have an issue with him being the hire, but because of his age, I do have questions. Is he the most qualified for the job? Or is it again, he’s in Philly, hire him, and don’t overthink it. Based on their recent success up there and how they have built that team.

He has interviewed with the Panthers, Commanders, and Jets for their open GM positions in the past but didn’t receive an offer.

Reminder: You aren’t hiring Howie Roseman; you are hiring the person who has watched him closely. There is a big difference.