The Miami Dolphins’ choice for general manager might have giant implications in the John Harbaugh sweepstakes.
Miami is hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan, formerly the Green Bay Packers’ VP of player personnel, to be their GM, according to NFL Media.
That’s notable because the well-regarded Sullivan got the job over Chad Alexander, the Los Angeles Chargers’ assistant GM, who worked with Harbaugh for more than a decade with the Baltimore Ravens.
Many were quick to connect a Harbaugh-Alexander pairing to Miami’s head coach and general manager vacancies after the Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday.
That possibility made Miami a major threat to the Giants’ pursuit of Harbaugh, whom the Ravens fired earlier this week after 18 seasons as their head coach.
Sullivan and Alexander were two of the four candidates who interviewed for the Dolphins’ job.
With a GM in place, the Dolphins can now begin their process to find a new head coach. And while nothing is certain, the Harbaugh-to-Miami pathway becomes less obvious without Alexander in the picture.
The chance to reconnect with Alexander — who currently works with Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles — seemed to be one of Miami’s best selling points for John Harbaugh, considering their quarterback situation is worse than that of the Giants.
Tua Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of 2025, and releasing him this offseason would leave the Dolphins with $99 million in dead money through 2027. After the Dolphins’ 7-10 season came to an end, Tagovailoa expressed an openness to a fresh start elsewhere.
The Giants (4-13), meanwhile, have a promising young quarterback in Jaxson Dart, whom Harbaugh is reportedly high on.
Dart attended the College Football Playoff game between his alma mater Ole Miss and Miami on Thursday night, and amateur lip readers suggested Dart was seen on the ESPN broadcast saying, “I don’t know, Harbaugh or [Kevin] Stefanski,” in reference to who would be the Giants’ next head coach.
Harbaugh, 63, does not have prior working experience with Sullivan, just like he does not have prior working experience with Giants GM Joe Schoen.
Sullivan had been part of the Packers organization since 2003 and was their VP of player personnel since 2022. He has history with another leading candidate in this coaching cycle in Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who hails from Bergen County.
Sullivan also worked with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who is another Giants candidate. Harbaugh and McCarthy are both reportedly set to interview with the Giants next week.
Harbaugh is 180-113 in his head-coaching career and led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory after the 2012 season.
The Giants, who fired Brian Daboll in November, and the Dolphins own two of the NFL’s eight head-coaching vacancies, along with the Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.
Even more jobs could become open after this weekend’s Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.
