After four straight winning seasons from 2020 to 2023, the Dolphins have slipped into consecutive losing seasons and face limited cap space to add impact players in free agency. The team is also expected to lose veteran contributors such as Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and Minkah Fitzpatrick due to financial constraints, further weakening an already thinner roster.
The quarterback situation remains unsettled. The Dolphins believed they had their franchise quarterback when they signed Tua Tagovailoa to a four-year extension prior to the 2024 season, but two years later the plan reportedly calls for either a trade or release, leaving Miami to navigate a fragile depth chart and an uncertain long-term forecast.
Compounding the challenge are sweeping changes on the leadership side. Miami has installed a new head coach and general manager, Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan, under owner Stephen Ross, who has signaled a more aggressive rebuild. ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques framed the shift as a necessary cultural reset, noting a difficult schedule, a thin roster, and limited quarterback options that point toward a yearlong rebuild in 2026.
With several quarterback options on the table—Malik Willis, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr, or Quinn Ewers—the Dolphins will need to align the right signal-caller with Hafley’s vision. While a strong quarterback–head coach pairing can alter a franchise’s trajectory, Miami’s immediate challenge is stabilizing the roster and cap situation, as division rival Patriots have shown in recent years with complementary coaching and quarterback decisions.
