Let the Miami Dolphins do their part on Black Monday, handing out pink slips to Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, Nick Westbrook-Ikein and James Daniels in one fell swoop.
What this decision lacks in surprises, it makes up for in quantity. The only way general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is going to make a louder shoe-drop is if he needs a five-man package — and the fifth player is, of course, Tua Tagovailoa.
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It was the loudest splash from Sully since the 2009 Hudson River incident.
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We can add up the millions of dollars the Dolphins will save by getting out of salary cap hell.
We can talk about the fact that by 2026, no one will replace Hill or Chubb.
We could talk about how no one needs to replace Westbrook-Ekoin or James Daniels (or is it Daniel James?) because they provide no return on investment for the Dolphins in 2025.
Instead, let’s talk about what happens next, shall we?
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It’s reassuring to hear Sullivan say he believes in building through the draft. Building through free agency may sometimes satisfy the instant gratification crowd, but it will never produce sustained success. Sullivan got it.
You hope his boss does the same.
August 16, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) waves a towel before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images
God knows no NFL owner is more patient than Stephen Ross. Shortly after taking over the team in 2009, he acknowledged that some things may help you get rich in the outside world, but they don’t apply in this world. For years, Rose has tried to spend money to improve his standing in the NFL. He trusted Sullivan’s predecessor, Chris Grier, not only with his franchise but with his checkbook.
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So when Grier approached Rose and said cornerback Xavien Howard wanted a raise, Rose said yes. A year later, when Howard wanted to renew his contract again, he agreed again. At this point, the banks are open for business, handing out deferments and raises while tossing the pot aside.
The Dolphins hit a dead end on Black Monday. There are no shortcuts, only cuts. Sullivan cut tens of millions of dollars from the payroll just to make their salary cap situation “adequate.” You think about the situation, and the fact that the team under Rose/Grier didn’t let the Dolphins get anywhere in the playoffs was a lesson to Rose. Would you like to think about it.
“Like I said, my communication with Stephen Ross is the desire to win,” Sullivan said during his introductory press conference. “But he made it very clear, I mean, frankly, what he said to me was, ‘If you don’t get this done, you can never say it’s because you don’t have the resources,’ and that told me everything I needed to know.”
To be fair, that’s probably a good sign. No general manager can build a winner without the support of his owner. But even the 85-year-old owner must realize that there are no shortcuts in this league.
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No one knows this better than Rose and the Dolphins. Think about it: In addition to paying to fire four guys who won’t play next year, the Dolphins owe Jalen Ramsey, Terron Armstead, Zach Wilson, Jonnu Smith and Matthew Judon (Matthew Judon?) millions of dollars.
Stephen Ross’ bottomless bank account doesn’t matter in the NFL
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross (center) introduces new general manager Jon Eric Sullivan (left) and coach Jeff Hafley on January 22, 2026.
Rose is a billionaire with a bottomless bank account, but that almost doesn’t matter when he enters the world of the NFL. So he’s uncomfortable when he signs a check to Will Fuller (who had four catches for 26 yards in his Dolphins career) or to Eric Fisher (who never put on a uniform). When Grier said he wanted Daniels to be the centerpiece of his 2025 free agency class, Rose signed a three-year, $24.5 million contract. Thankfully, it was thought that only $7.3 million of that was guaranteed, so when Daniels only played three games, it worked out to $2.4 million per game. Grier justified ignoring Daniels’ injury history by scoffing and insisting that every player gets hurt.
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“I think James is a player we’re very excited to get,” Grier said last April.
For years, fans treated Grier like their own piñata, calling for Rose to replace him until last Halloween, when he was fired. They weren’t as quick to credit Grier during the 7.5-month period in 2022 when he acquired Chubb and Hill in a trade involving a first-round pick.
Hill immediately had two 1,700-yard seasons before wearing out his welcome with constant off-field drama. We still don’t know how or if he will recover from last year’s knee injury. In stark contrast, Chubb was just named a team nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. On top of that, he mentored the team’s young edge rushers, including Chip Robinson, and, oh yeah, he had 22 sacks in a Dolphins uniform.
Today, you could spend a high draft pick on the Dolphins to replace Hill or Chubb, or pretty much any other position group besides running back and inside linebacker.
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What you can’t do is replace them with a hot free agent.
Even if Sullivan had the money, this would go against his philosophy.
Would this go against his boss?
This article originally appeared in The Palm Beach Post: Dolphins’ ‘Black Monday’ roster cuts: What’s next for the team?
