Candidates To Replace Chris Grier as GM

Candidates To Replace Chris Grier as GM

As each week goes by and the Miami Dolphins lose another game, we are one week closer to having Chris Grier lose his job.

The question is, if/when he is let go, who will replace him for the 2026 season?

Below is a list of candidates who are poised to become NFL general managers in the near future, who I am sure will be on Miami’s short list.

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, which he has had a hand in. 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 interviewed for the Raiders and Chargers general manager positions recently and didn’t get the position. 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 get 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.

Dawn Aponte: Chief Administrator of Football Operations for the NFL

A familiar name for Miami Dolphins fans, as Aponte was the Senior Vice President of Football Operations in Miami under Stephen Ross between 2010 and 2012. Then moved to the role of Executive Vice President of Football Administration from 2012 to 2016. Every time there is a rumor or a story of who will be the first female NFL general manager, Aponte’s name comes up. Her name has also come up as a possible replacement for the NFL commissioner when Roger Goodell decides to retire. She has been around the sport forever and is well respected, and Stephen Ross knows her and has a great relationship with her. In an era where minority candidates struggle to secure head coaching and general management positions, Stephen Ross has been ahead of the curve with these types of hires. Would I be shocked if Ross wanted to be ahead of the curve in hiring the first female general manager in NFL history? No, I wouldn’t. And yes, she is more than qualified for the position; that goes without saying.

Matt Berry: Vice President of Player Acquisition, Seattle Seahawks

Berry was recently promoted to his current role and is more than ready to be an NFL general manager. Berry works with the college scouting and pro personnel departments to manage all aspects of the Seahawks roster. He is very involved in the pre-draft process and pre-draft meetings with Seattle, and prior to that, he was the director of college scouting for eight years in Seattle. Before joining Seattle, Berry worked in Atlanta’s front office. This will be another one of the hot candidates to become an NFL general manager, as he is probably way overqualified for the role he has now, in all honesty.

Champ Kelly: Senior personnel executive, Miami Dolphins

I am against promoting from within. I think the Dolphins need to look outside the organization for a fresh perspective. With that said, Kelly has only been here a few months. Kelly has been the Raiders’ assistant general manager since 2022, and in 2023, he was promoted to interim general manager. The Raiders didn’t give him the job because they didn’t want a first-time GM paired with a first-time head coach (which actually makes a lot of sense). Before Las Vegas, Kelly was in Chicago as an Assistant director of player personnel and the Director of pro scouting. He is more than qualified to be an NFL general manager. Would be a WOW hire for the Dolphins…NO! But not one that fans should be upset about either. Just not my first choice. Or the second, or third, or fourth choice.

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, and 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 the recent success they have had up there, and how they have built that team.

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

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

Louis Riddick: ESPN (before that, Director of pro personnel for Washington and Philadelphia)

Each year, the million-dollar question is whether a team will take a shot and make Louis Riddick a general manager. He isn’t just a pretty face you see on TV each day. Riddick spent time in multiple NFL front offices from 2001 to 2013. He was a pro scout and the director of pro personnel for Washington before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was a scout, assistant director of pro personnel, and then the director of pro personnel for the Eagles. He is up to speed on the college game with his work at ESPN, covering the draft and calling college games each week on ABC and ESPN. He has been out of the game for a bit, being on TV, and the last guy from TV they gave a shot to as a GM (Mike Mayock) failed miserably, so that is working against Riddick. But Riddick would be a familiar face and a popular name to all Dolphins fans who think very highly of him, with his analysis on TV, as it is generally grounded and fair.

Ian Cunningham: Assistant General Manager, Chicago Bears

How Cunningham isn’t a general manager already is beyond me. He has interviewed for at least four open general manager positions, and three of those times he made it to the final round of interviews. He was offered the GM job in Arizona and turned it down for reasons unknown.  He is one of the most respected front office minds in the league, and his time as an NFL general manager will come real soon. Some feel he may be waiting for the perfect spot. Is Miami that ideal spot? Probably not, unless he is given total control and power over everything. If the Dolphins could ever get Cunningham out of Chicago to be their next GM, it would be a huge win.