Kelly: There are no desperate acts on Chris Grier’s resume | Opinion
There is no more blame to be shifted.
No more pointing fingers at the other guy.
No more excusing selections, contracts, evaluation whiffs and poor decisions on “that’s what the head coach wanted.”
More than anyone, Chris Grier’s seat is smoldering because he has been part of the Miami Dolphins’ front office since 2000.
He has had a voice people pay attention to in the room since 2007, when he became Miami’s director of college scouting.
Grier has survived six regimes, helping influence moves South Florida’s NFL franchise has made for two-plus decades, which happen to coincide with the Dolphins’ era of mediocrity.
He has been the the head man in charge since 2019, and owner Steve Ross has already put everyone in the organization on notice that the status quo won’t do, and another disappointing season will trigger change.
While most people assume Ross’ stance will trigger an offseason of desperation from Grier and coach Mike McDaniel, I’ve consistently stressed that’s now what Grier’s track record suggests.
The Dolphins organization has made many, many free agency mistakes through the years. But outside of his lackluster drafts, and a lackluster evaluation here and there on free agents, and their fit, Grier has a fairly clean resume when it comes to this process.
So while the franchise stood patient, going quiet as the first round of free agency began on Monday (outside of signing quarterback Zach Wilson), and an endless list of decent-but-not elite players got paid, I celebrated Miami’s stillness because it means desperation hasn’t influenced the people in charge.
The Dolphins set prices on players, budgets on this rebuild (and that’s what it is), and thankfully, seemingly won’t be overbidding.
While Aaron Banks was one of my favorite offensive linemen in this free agency class, I wouldn’t have given him half the four-year, $77 million deal the Green Bay Packers just got him for.
The same applies for Philadelphia defensive lineman Milton Williams, a backup with the Eagles who has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $104 million deal with the New England Patriots.
That’s like paying $40,000 for a tricked-out Honda Accord.
Does that mean Miami will miss out of the top-shelf free agents of 2026? Possibly.
But it also means the books might eventually stop looking like a hot mess, and Miami won’t be signing deals this week the organization will be trying to avoid, restructure, if not dump in two years.
Monday’s signing spree was the first round of a 12-round fight, and no championship contender ever built its foundation that way, spending big in free agency.
Who goes into a car dealership and accepts the first offer from the salesman? The best deals come when you’re patient, and make them a fair offer after you have done your research.
And maybe the deal gets a little sweetened at the end of the month when the final sales reports are due.
Well, the first round of free agency wraps up at the end of this week, so Miam has some time to make better deals for talented like inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Zach Cunningham, offensive guard James Daniels and Laken Tomlinson, quarterback Marcus Mariota, safeties Andre Cisco and Justin Simmons, tailback Javonte Williams and many other free agents who can improve the 2026 roster.
And there’s the second-tier prospects, who can certainly fill voids, and will typically come at a much better price.
Grier knows this because he has been in the decision-making process since 2000, a quarter of a century, and in this role since 2016, nearly a decade.
He’s on his second head coach, his third quarterback since he selected Ryan Fitzpatrick as Miami’s bridge quarterback after dumping Ryan Tannehill, traded a second-round pick and swapped late-round selections for Josh Rosen in 2019, and then drafted Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall, ahead of Justin Herbert, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts, who were all taken in the same draft class.
It was Grier who built, and must now rebuild last year’s 8-9 team, which was ruined by Tagovailoa’s injuries, and the disaster of an offensive line Grier neglected, then made excuses for.
It is Grier who will now let his third draft class as general manager leave the nest, allowing safety Jevon Holland, and offensive linemen Liam Eichenberg and Rob Jones to sign elsewhere because they failed to live up to expectations.
And it’s Grier who will, and should be judged for what replaces them, and how far those players, and the 2026 team takes Miami.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM.
