Dolphins pick Packers executive as GM. Here’s his philosophy and coaching update
The Dolphins have found their new top football executive, and he fits the prototype they were seeking: A skilled evaluator of talent.
Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan accepted an offer to become the team’s new general manager on Friday. The deal is in the process of being finalized, a source said Friday morning.
His task: rebuilding a team that stands $23 million over the salary cap and has numerous holes, starting with quarterback.
Sullivan, 50, was selected over seven others who interviewed. Sullivan and 49ers executive Josh Williams were the only two who had both virtual and in-person interviews.
Sullivan’s acumen for evaluating talent is widely respected in the league. He was an advocate for Green Bay selecting Jordan Love in the 2020 Draft.
He realized early in his career that “my skill set was better suited to evaluating and help acquire players than teaching players,” he said in a 2023 interview with Unsung, an in-house Packers program.
Sullivan is completing his 22nd year with Green Bay and is in his fourth season as the Packers’ vice president of player personnel. He previously served as co-director of player personnel for four seasons (2018-21) and for two seasons (2016-17) as the director of college scouting.
“Dolphins got a good one,” former Packers executive Andrew Brandt said on X. “Solid guy, highly skilled player evaluator. From the Ron Wolf/Ted Thompson scouting tree, a scout’s scout.”
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Sullivan spent his high school years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and played his junior and senior seasons (1998-99) as a wide receiver at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
“When I was done playing college, I thought I wanted to be a part of corporate America,” he said, leading to him working three years for GMAC’s sales and credit administration departments, from 2001 to 2004.
“But I realized early I missed ball and wanted to be a part of it,” he said. That led to an internship with the Packers in 2003 and a full-time job a year later.
He explained his approach to team building in that Unsung interview: “I’ve always been taught the draft is your lifeblood. You build through the draft. It’s a young man’s game. You want to make sure you’re acquiring young, talented players that fit your culture. You supplement through free agency....Those are dangerous waters to tread in all the time because teams typically aren’t moving from good players who are healthy and good in the locker room.
“You’ve got to build through the draft and supplement in free agency. You always have to assess your quarterback situation, make sure you have a trigger man you can win with.”
He’s not a fan of groupthink.
“If we are all agreeing nobody is thinking,” he said. “If I’m a decision-maker and have a bunch of guys in the room tell me what I want to hear, that’s not very valuable to me.”
He said “the analytics are not going to supersede the film.”
His father, Jerry Sullivan, was a longtime NFL and college coach who retired in 2021 after more than 40 years of coaching.
Sullivan interviewed with the Dolphins on Zoom early this week and had an in-person interview with the team on Thursday. Miami also had in-person interviews with Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, Williams and interim GM Champ Kelly.
The Packers need to give the Dolphins written permission for Sullivan to begin the job because Green Bay is in the playoffs. The Packers play at the Bears on Saturday night. He would be available to Miami, without permission, when the Packers are eliminated from postseason.
In that Unsung interview, he was asked about how unusual it is to spend 20-plus years in a team’s front office.
“I would like to think some of it is a testament to myself and what I’ve been able to accomplish here, but a lot of it is I’ve been fortunate to be in a great organization,” he said. “I’ve learned from some of the best — Ted Thompson, [current Packers GM] Brian Gutekunst, John Dorsey, Reggie McKenzie, John Schneider. A lot of it is good fortune on my end, having the ability to learn as a young scout and put those things to the test and been able to hang around. Very grateful for that. It has been a slow, steady process or the past 20 years.”
Asked about his hyphenated name, he cracked: “I’m still wondering about that. I’m not sure why my parents did that to me. My parents wanted something different... At this point nobody calls me Jon. But nobody calls me Jon-Eric either. it’s either JE or Sully, which I’m OK with. I don’t like introducing myself as Jon-Eric because I see people tilt their head: Is this your first and middle name? Is this your whole first or last name?”
With Sullivan in the fold, the Dolphins now will begin their search for a head coach. The Dolphins remain interested in former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, but Miami had not called his representation at all as of Friday morning, opting instead to focus on the GM search. The Dolphins also bypassed hiring Alexander, who has the closest ties to Harbaugh among the finalists.
The Giants are expected to be strong suitors for Harbaugh, and it’s possible the Dolphins might end up with a younger coach who might be more interested in a rebuild. That must still play out.
Other logical Dolphins coaching candidates who do have ties to Sullivan include Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley (who went 22-26 as Boston College’s head coach from 2020 to 2023), Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich (has served in that role for four years but doesn’t call the plays), former Packers and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy (who will interview with the Giants on Tuesday) and Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile (the Dolphins’ former linebackers coach).
Several others are expected to be contacted in the days ahead. The Dolphins must interview two minority candidates in accordance with the league’s Rooney Rule, and both of those candidates must come from other teams (or be unemployed).
Long Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Packers reporter Tom Silverstein said Friday that the Packers “might have to offer him $12-15 million per year to lure him into signing an extension. If the two sides can’t reach an agreement, it’s hard to believe Sullivan wouldn’t be interested in LaFleur. In order for Sullivan to get a crack at him, the Packers would have to fire LaFleur, agree to void the final year of the contract or ask for compensation from the Dolphins.”
LaFleur has a 76-40 record for the Packers but is 3-5 in the playoffs.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 10:21 AM.
