The Miami Dolphins‘ 2025 season has, mercifully, come to an end. Any hope fans had for a strong finish was dashed convincingly by a 38-10 defeat in New England. Miami’s offense stumbled after a few promising drives — an all-too-familiar theme across the recent years of Mike McDaniel‘s leadership of the team. But now that the season’s final game has been played, the real work is now set to begin for the Dolphins.
A decision will be made on McDaniel in the hours or days ahead. The team will presumably start sending out requests for general manager interviews tomorrow. But as those steps are taken, the Dolphins suddenly find themselves having competition for an executive hire.
The Dolphins will be competing against the Atlanta Falcons to fill a general manager vacancy
Oct 26, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (19) is tackled by Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr. (24) and linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Falcons relieved both head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot of their duties on Sunday night. Fontenot becomes the second general manager dismissed this season after Miami parted ways with Chris Grier mid-season. It was going to require incredible luck for the Dolphins to go into their hiring process as the only vacancy, but some of the questions surrounding the Falcons opening give pros and cons to both spots.
One thing that will work in Miami’s favor, despite the salary cap situation, is the year-one assets. The Falcons do not own their own 2026 first-round pick, which was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for EDGE James Pearce in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Dolphins, alternatively, have the 11th overall pick, plus a pick at 43rd overall before Atlanta’s first scheduled pick comes on the board.
But the Falcons do not have a “Tua Tagovailoa” puzzle to solve. And their cap situation affords more flexibility in 2026 than Miami’s does as the Dolphins look to strip down big contracts (although the Falcons rank 24th in cap space in 2026 as things currently stand versus 28th for the Dolphins). It’s also worth acknowledging that the Falcons’ 8 wins was tied for the most in the division.
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Officially open 2026 NFL job openings
(as of Sunday night)
Miami Dolphins general manager
Atlanta Falcons general manager
Atlanta Falcons head coach
An interesting variable will be the chance to pick a quarterback versus getting married to Falcons’ youngster Michael Penix Jr. Does the chance to choose your own passer at any point trump having one you didn’t pick that the team will surely want to try to make work?
It’s hard to say.
And that’s what makes the presence of Atlanta as another team in the general manager pool intriguing. The Dolphins have had a head start on their prep work. They’ll need to put it to good use now, because they’re not playing alone in the sandbox anymore.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.