WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

01/09 10:21 CST Jon-Eric Sullivan finalizing deal to become Miami Dolphins GM, AP source says Jon-Eric Sullivan finalizing deal to become Miami Dolphins GM, AP source says By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) --- Jon-Eric Sullivan is finalizing a deal to join the Dolphins as their general manager, making the former Green Bay Packers executive the first key piece in Miami's organizational reboot, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not made an announcement. Sullivan, the Packers' vice president of player personnel, completed an in-person interview this week with the Dolphins, who were expected to move swiftly in hiring a new general manager after parting ways with longtime GM Chris Grier during the season. ESPN first reported the deal. Sullivan spent 22 seasons with Green Bay Packers, beginning as a scouting intern in 2003 before earning a full-time position with the team's football operations department in 2004. In 2022, he was named vice president of player personnel, with the Packers making the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. Green Bay is currently set to face Chicago on Saturday in a wild-card game. He is the son of Jerry Sullivan, a longtime NFL and college coach who was Miami's receivers coach in 2004. Sullivan's first task will be finding a new head coach. Mike McDaniel was fired Thursday after four seasons following a 7-10 campaign in which the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the second straight year. The Dolphins have been linked to former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, though the organization has reportedly not yet heavily pursued him. Other potential candidates who have a connection with Sullivan include Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley; Mike McCarthy, who coached the Packers for more than a decade; and Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, Green Bay's linebacker's coach in 2024. Campanile also coached Miami's linebackers from 2020-23. Sullivan will also need to figure out what to do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was benched the final three games of the season because of poor play. Tagovailoa threw for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns last season but showed a stark decline in accuracy and mobility after signing a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024. He finished second in the NFL with 15 interceptions, which was a career high. Tagovailoa is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him. Releasing him next year would result in a $99 million dead cap charge. If the move is designated as a post-June 1 release, those charges are split over two years, with $67.4 million allocated to the 2026 cap and $31.8 million in 2027. ___ AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl