The Dolphins are double-dipping into the Packers organization to build their foundation.
Miami has agreed to terms with Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on a five-year contract to become the team’s next head coach, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Monday.
The Dolphins officially announced Hafley's hiring.
Hafley emerged as a frontrunner for the job over Divisional Round Weekend, a development that made sense roughly a week after the Dolphins had tabbed Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as their new general manager.
“Jeff is a man of integrity, intellect and great passion who players will buy into and play for,” Sullivan said in a team statement. “He has a vision for the kind of team we will be and the ability to motivate them to move in one direction on the path towards that goal. I’m thrilled to go on this journey with him and together we will build a winner that this organization deserves.”
Hafley, 46, spent the past two seasons in charge of Green Bay's defense. During his first year as DC, his group finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed. He then went into the 2025 campaign buoyed by the Packers trading for All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, but injuries plagued the Packers defense -- including Parsons suffering a torn ACL -- which faded down the stretch to finish 11th and 12th in points and yards allowed, respectively.
He nonetheless showed himself to be one of the premier defensive minds in the NFL, and garnered widespread interest during the head coaching cycle.
Hafley, who also coached defensive backs at the NFL level with the Buccaneers, Browns and 49ers from 2012-18, has previously only been a head coach at the collegiate level. He was Boston College's head coach from 2020-23, leading the Eagles to a record of .500 or better in three of his four seasons.
He comes to a Miami team in dire need of an identity shift, with plenty of questions to answer after two consecutive losing seasons followed the Dolphins' first consecutive playoff berths since the 2000-01 campaigns. The Dolphins in recent years developed a reputation for soft play, featuring speed over enforcers, and that showed in the team's 24th-ranked scoring defense.
Considering that's Hafley's specialty, he'll be counted on to transform the culture into something more hard-nosed as the Dolphins look to catch back up with the Patriots and Bills, who fired head coach Sean McDermott on Monday, in the AFC East.
But there will also be massive offensive issues to address, meaning Hafley's eventual choice for offensive coordinator will bear watching, as well as how he and Sullivan approach the quarterback position. Tua Tagovailoa, signed to a hefty contract through 2028, was benched for the team's final three games and is open to a fresh start elsewhere. Quinn Ewers had some good moments taking Tagovailoa's place, but he's a seventh-round pick and certainly didn't cement himself as some cornerstone of the future, and Zach Wilson's fate is murky after being leapfrogged on the depth chart.
A decision at QB will be the focal point in Miami. Plus, it's not a given Tyreek Hill plays for the team in 2026 following his gruesome knee injury. Outside of running back De'Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle, the offensive skill positions would require some replenishment -- especially depending on Hill's future.
Those are large concerns to be addressed moving forward.
For now, though, the Dolphins have the GM and head coach they believe will help lead them to sustained success.