Dolphins request interviews for six candidates for GM position
An early batch of NFL executives expected to be candidates for the vacant Miami Dolphins general manager role has surfaced.
The Dolphins, which fired longtime executive Chris Grier on Halloween of 2025, wasted no time asking for permission to interview six candidates who appear to be front-runners according to The NFL Network and ESPN. The list is as follows: Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby, 49ers VP of player personnel Tariq Ahmad, 49ers assistant general manager RJ Gillen, 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, Rams assistant GM John McKay and Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Also expected to be interviewed is Champ Kelly, who presently serves as Miami’s interim general manager after being chosen to replace Grier.
Halaby began his career as an Eagles front office intern in 2007 and rose to the position of vice president of football operations and strategy in 2016, then was named assistant GM in 2022. He has had several interviews for GM jobs, including with the Panthers and Commanders in 2024 and Jets in 2025. Halaby was previously credited as a key figure who “helped build perhaps the NFL’s best roster and has been integral for GM Howie Roseman in marrying traditional player evaluation to analytics within the team’s scouting department,” according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.
All three of the 49ers’ candidates — Ahmad, Gillen and Williams — have a working history with coach Mike McDaniel, who came from the franchise that hired him in 2007. Both Ahmad and Williams came up through the Niners’ scouting department, joining the organization in 2014 and 2011, respectively while Gillen, who came aboard in 2015, has a background in analytics. Gillen’s biography specifically notes his “unique knowledge and perspective on the intersection of sports, law, and technology, which he applies to continually improve processes and seek competitive advantages in personnel evaluation, roster management, player acquisition, and contract negotiation.”
McKay, son of Rich McKay (who just stepped down as Falcons CEO), has been with the Rams since 2016. Having initially worked in the scouting department, McKay still carries that history with him as his job can be summed up as the management of “all player arrivals and departures,” according to his biography on the Rams website. His additional duties include pre-free agency roster evaluation, scouting reports for future opponents and collegiate player analysis prior to the NFL Draft.
The son of longtime receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, Jon-Eric has a unique eye for talent. Case in point: He was the first Packers official to put Mountain West Conference second-teamer Jordan Love on Packers general manger Brian Gutenkunst’s radar, per Breer. More than that, Sullivan has playing experience — albeit in college — and worked his way up to the vice president of player development after initially entering the league as a scout.
“Jon-Eric Sullivan has proven himself an exceptional evaluator, a strong link between scouting and coaching and a valuable safety net for Gutekunst on anything in the draft or free agency,” Breer wrote. “Sullivan’s been involved in the cap too, had a voice in the coaching search that landed Matt LaFleur and even has been looped in on things like player discipline and strength-and-conditioning.”
The Dolphins are looking for a new GM for the first time since 2016 when they elevated Grier to replace Dennis Hickey, who was removed by Mike Tannenbaum, who was then the team’s vice president of football operations.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM.
