What the Packers believe the Dolphins are getting in Jon-Eric Sullivan, according to those who know him best

Jon-Eric Sullivan is exactly the type of person and professional who tends to climb the ladder in Green Bay. A coach's son, he landed on the Packers in 2003 in his 20s as a training camp intern. And he's gone from a small chance to one of the top scouts on a top draft-and-develop organization without going elsewhere until now. Sullivan was a football operations department employee, region scout, director of college scouting, co-director of player personnel, and vice president of player personnel. He was promoted twice in Green Bay after Brian Gutekunst took over as a general manager in 2018.

"I can't imagine a better candidate out there," Gutekunst said during the interview process with other teams last year. "I'm certainly very, very biased, but whoever gives him an opportunity, he's going to do an outstanding job. He's really impacted our organization in so many different ways. He'll be missed, but we also have a lot of guys that I think are ready to move into that space and if that's the case. But selfishly, I'd like him back. But I think he's absolutely 100% ready for this opportunity and excited for him."

It's easy to see why Gutekunst and Sullivan were so close. Even though the new Dolphins general manager didn't spend time with Ron Wolf like Gutekunst did, both grew up together in the profession. The hard days of scouting were the first connection. "We've worked together a long time," Gutekunst explained. "I was a Southeast scout, then he was a Southeast scout. I was a college director, he was a college director. We kinda have a lot to talk about, because we've been through a lot of the same things. But we're both coaches' kids, and I think there's a thousand ways that I appreciate Jon-Eric and what he's meant to this organization." For a second-hand man and now a general manager, Sullivan has impactful traits. One is the ability to make his position clear.

"The fact that he isn't afraid to tell me something uncomfortable, or if you think you're going down a different thing. For me, that's so, so important," Gutekunst added. "I got a lot of guys in that room that aren't afraid to do that. But for me, the decisions I have to make, that are under my umbrella, guys like Jon-Eric make me very, very confident, because I have those guys by my side when I make those decisions. They're involved in everything and give me a lot of confidence that we've done the work, it's the right decision, when that time comes for us to make decisions."

After more than two decades working for the Packers, it's time for Jon-Eric Sullivan to build the Packer Way somewhere else.

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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.