Jan 23, 2026
3 min read
How is Jeff Hafley faring in Miami? Our experts answer seven important questions about the Dolphins' new head coach.
MIAMI GARDENS -- It's a new season for Miami Dolphins football.
Sources confirmed the Dolphins will hire Green Bay Packers defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley as their next head coach after impressing members of the team in his second interview on Monday.
Hafley is the Dolphins' eighth straight head coach at the NFL level, but unlike most of his predecessors, Hafley comes to South Florida with a blank slate.
He was hired by new Miami general manager John-Eric Sullivan, who spent two seasons with him in Green Bay as vice president of player personnel.The team is also poised to make a fresh start at quarterback after veteran Tua Tagovailoa stepped down at the end of the 2025 season.
What does Hafley's hiring mean for the Dolphins, and what's next for a franchise that has now tapped the man responsible for its rebuild?NFL Nation Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, NFL Insider Dan Graziano, senior draft analyst Jordan Reed and senior writer Ben Solak weigh in.
Hafley and Sullivan have a built-in synergy;They already know how to work together and don't need to spend time adjusting to each other.Halfley also interviewed well with the Dolphins' brain trust, which included Sullivan, team owner Stephen Ross, president Tom Garfinkel, Ross' son-in-law and heir, Daniel Sillman, vice president of football operations Brandon Shore and adviser Troy Aikman.Don Marino.Hafley has prior head coaching experience, albeit at the collegiate level (Boston College).-- Louis-Jacques
What are the realistic short-term and long-term expectations for Heffley and the Dolphins?
This coming season will be about laying a new foundation.The Dolphins have key pieces to build on, but things could get worse before they get better based on the product on the field.Miami plays one of the toughest schedules in the NFL in 2026 -- including road games against Denver, San Francisco, Green Bay and Minnesota, and home games against Kansas City, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago and Detroit -- and will have to start at a high level, with Tagovailoa's future with the team now.In time, the goal is clearly to compete for Super Bowls, although with quarterbacks Josh Allen and Drake Maye in the AFC East, even getting out of this group will be a challenge.--Louis-Jacques
How do Hafley and Sullivan work together?
Sullivan builds the roster, Hafley coaches it.Sullivan works alongside Sahil and both men report to Ross, Solomon and Griffinkel.Previous general manager Chris Geyer was known for following the wishes of his coaches when making the roster, but in an interview with Dolphins internal media on Sunday, Sullivan said that while some have a say in roster moves, he ultimately makes the final decision.-Louis Jacques
What are we hearing around the league about recruiting?
It's a pretty quick rise for Hafley, who seemed to be on shaky ground as the head coach at Boston College a few years ago when he made the jump to the NFL and the Packers' defensive coordinator role.
But he received a lot of praise inside and outside the Packers building for what he did during his time there, and his reputation as a college coach was that of a strong player developer.Players like Zay Flores and Donovan Ezeiruaku are among those who were high NFL draft picks during their time at BC while Hafley was there.His previous experience as a head coach, albeit at the college level not in the NFL, was something that worked to Hafley's advantage in this process, and once Sullivan Packer hires the new GM next week in Miami, a lot of people are starting to connect those dots.-- Graziano
So what do Hafley and Sullivan make of you and the whole Terek Hill thing?
Tagovailoa and Hill are making $108 million this season, and it's a safe bet that neither player will return to their current deals.Marking Hill as a cut after Season 1 appears to be the most financially sound decision, as it remains unclear how long it will take him to return from the knee sprain he suffered last season.
Cutting Tagovailoa would mean a $99 million hit, either all at once this season or spread over the next two seasons;he will be hard to trade given his play over the past two seasons and the money he is owed.After an injury shortened 2024, Tagovailoa led the NFL off the bench this season with a career-high 15 while posting a career-low 37.4 QBR.Miami could sweeten the pot for every taste in a trade.inserting a sketch.-- Louis-Jacques
How can they most effectively improve the team with their first pick (No. 11)?
A common theme among first-year general managers is dealing in the trenches, and we see that in Miami.Both the offensive and defensive lines need young building blocks.The right tackle is an obvious positional need, with question marks over Austin Jackson's durability and the impending free agency after next season.The new Dolphins system could count on Miami's Francis Mauigoa, who is a consistent blocker at 6-foot-6 and heavy.335 pounds, at No.11 in Round 1. But Utah's Spencer Fano is another name worth noting;he is a physical player who is a plug-and-play starter in the NFL.Pairing left tackle Patrick Paul with any of these guys should give Miami a solid tackle going forward and give Hafley a better pass defense.-- Reid
How would you rate this setting?
B. This is a pretty typical first-time head coach.We know a few things about Hafley: enough to have faith, but not enough to paint a complete picture.When he took the job in 2024, he immediately elevated the Packers' defense and showed over two seasons that he could coach a shaky cornerback room well, which isn't easy to do in the NFL given how good the opposing passing game is today.creative things that are all the rage these days, including pressure fakes and coverage rotations, and he has the college background to help translate the game to younger players.
It's not clear how strong Hafley's Rolodex of coordinators/assistants will be, and although he's learned well from incompetence in Green Bay, he's never had a great team.The Packers have always been a smart franchise, so pulling a HC-GM connection from their ranks feels like a big deal.But it's a wait and see situation.
