Miami Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley as head coach: What it means - ESPN

MIAMI GARDENS — It's a new era of Miami Dolphins football.

Sources confirmed to ESPN that the Dolphins will hire Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their next head coach, after he impressed team brass during his second interview Monday.

Hafley is a first-time head coach at the NFL level, marking the eighth consecutive first-time head coach the Dolphins have hired. But unlike most of his predecessors, Hafley arrives in South Florida with a blank slate.

He was handpicked by Miami's new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, who spent two seasons with him in Green Bay as the vice president of player personnel. The team is also prepared to start over at quarterback, after starter Tua Tagovailoa was benched toward 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 men in charge of its rebuild? ESPN NFL Nation Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, NFL Insider Dan Graziano, senior draft analyst Jordan Reid and senior writer Ben Solak weigh in.

First of all, there's the built-in cohesion between Hafley and Sullivan; they know how to work together already and won't need to spend time acclimating to one another. Hafley also interviewed well with a Dolphins brain trust that included Sullivan, team owner Stephen Ross, president Tom Garfinkel, Ross' son-in-law and successor, Daniel Sillman, vice president of football operations Brandon Shore and advisers Troy Aikman and Dan Marino. Hafley also has prior head coaching experience, albeit at the collegiate level (Boston College). — Louis-Jacques

This coming season will be about laying a new foundation. The Dolphins have some key pieces to build around, but things are more likely to get