Following another disappointing season in 2025/26, the Miami Dolphins have put in place major roster reconstruction under new General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in free agency.
The Dolphins fell to a 7-10 record, their lowest win total since the 2019/20 season, with head coach Mike McDaniel losing his job in January as a result.
With free agency open for 24 hours, Florida News Blitz writer Oliver Powell looks at the moves the Phins have made so far.
All change at QB
The Tua Tagovailoa era in Miami is over after the Dolphins released their franchise Quarterback for a record salary cap hit of $99.2m.
After being drafted fifth overall in 2020, Tagovailoa battled with suffering two concussions in his NFL career to never establish himself as the prospect Miami thought they were drafting.
After being benched for the final three games of the regular season, it felt inevitable Miami were set to move on and releasing him became the only option due to his four-year, $212m contract signed in 2024 proving too difficult to trade.
Tua seems set to join the Atlanta Falcons, and Miami have already struck to find their QB1 for the 2026/27 season.
Malik Willis is signing with the Dolphins on a three-year, $67.5 million contract and reunites with new head coach Jeff Hafley who was defensive coordinator on the Green Bay Packers in 2025.
Willis has only amassed six starts in his NFL career, three with the Packers and three as a rookie with the Tennessee Titans, yet the Dolphins believe they’ve found a player with a high ceiling to help rebuild the franchise in the upcoming season where a playoff push won’t be expected.
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Further departures
Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was released last month, with the 31-year-old recovering from a major knee injury in the 2025 season.
Hill arrived in Miami hoping to be at the heart of the franchise’s rebirth in 2022, however the second straight losing season meant Sullivan cut Hill as one of his first moves as GM to signal a move into a full rebuild.
Five-time Pro Bowler Minkah Fitzpatrick was also traded as free agency began, heading to the New York Jets in return for a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Safety Fitzpatrick had one year remaining on his deal, and joined Tagovailoa and Hill as experienced players leaving the Hard Rock Stadium this off-season.
What next?
Miami have made some blockbuster statements as free agency began, yet the moves felt all too familiar as the team struggles to build a solid future.
The new era in Miami is set to be all about the draft, learning from recent failings and poor decision making, as Sullivan says he wants to bring the ‘Green Bay way’ to Southeast Florida.
The first round of the draft has been a constant stumbling block, with all the team having to show for their past 10 years in Jaylen Waddle, who may yet still end up on the trade block.
Whilst expectation for the team in 2026 will be sinking to a new low, the hard hitting of the reset button may be exactly what the Dolphins needed to forget the failures of the past.
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