What Dolphins’ GM hiring means for Giants’ Harbaugh pursuit
The Miami Dolphins’ choice for general manager could have huge implications in the John Harbaugh sweepstakes.
Miami is hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan, former vice president of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers, as general manager, according to NFL Media.
That’s notable because the highly regarded Sullivan got the job ahead of Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander, who worked with Harbaugh for more than a decade with the Baltimore Ravens.
Many were quick to peg a Harbaugh-Alexander duo to Miami’s head coaching 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 head coach.
Sullivan and Alexander were two of four candidates who interviewed for the Dolphins job.
With a general manager in place, the Dolphins can now begin their process to find a new head coach. And while nothing is certain, the path from Harbaugh to Miami becomes less clear without Alexander.
The chance to reconnect with Alexander – who is currently working with Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles – seemed to be one of Miami’s best selling points for John Harbaugh, given that their quarterback situation is worse than 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 ended, Tagovailoa expressed openness to a fresh start elsewhere.
The Giants (4-13), meanwhile, have a promising young quarterback in Jaxson Dart, who Harbaugh would have high value on.
Dart attended the College Football Playoff game between his alma mater Ole Miss and Miami on Thursday night, and amateur lip readers suggested that Dart was seen on the ESPN broadcast saying, “I don’t know, Harbaugh or [Kevin] Stefanski,” in reference to who would be the next head coach of the Giants.
Harbaugh, 63, has no prior working experience with Sullivan, just as he has no prior working experience with Giants general manager Joe Schoen.
Sullivan had been with the Packers organization since 2003 and served as their vice president of player personnel since 2022. He has history with another top candidate in this coaching cycle, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, a Bergen County native.
Sullivan also worked with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who is another Giants candidate. Both Harbaugh and McCarthy are expected 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 following 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 be open after the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs this weekend.
