After nearly a decade as GM and zero playoff wins to show for it, Chris Grier is finally out. Stephen Ross had seen enough.
Stephen Ross finally did what many Dolphins fans have waited years to see: he fired general manager Chris Grier.
On October 31, after a humiliating 28–6 home loss to the Ravens and a 2–7 start to the 2025 season, the team announced that Ross and Grier had “mutually agreed to part ways.” But let’s be clear — this was Ross making a decision. “We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now,” he said in a pointed statement.
That ends Grier’s 24-year run in the organization, including nine seasons as GM. And with it, Miami may finally begin confronting the league’s longest playoff win drought head-on.
The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since December 30, 2000 — nearly 25 years ago. Since then, they’ve had 11 head coaches, three playoff appearances, and zero wins in January. Under Grier’s watch, the drought didn’t just continue — it calcified.
Grier took over as general manager in 2016. His record: 77–80. His tenure included some bold swings — the 2020 selection of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, a blockbuster trade for Tyreek Hill in 2022, and a massive rebuild through draft capital. But the wins never came when they counted. Three one-and-done playoff seasons and constant roster churn told the real story.
The 2025 season was supposed to be different. Instead, the Dolphins opened with three straight losses, including a 33–8 blowout in Week 1 to the Colts. They didn’t notch their first win until Week 4 against the Jets. Since then, they’ve dropped four more. The Week 9 blowout loss to Baltimore at home — where boos rained down in Hard Rock Stadium — put an exclamation point on a season spinning out of control.
Ross had seen enough. With the trade deadline looming, he decided Grier wouldn’t shape the team’s future. For a franchise trapped in a cycle of false starts and fading momentum, it was a long-delayed move.
Champ Kelly, a respected front office veteran, takes over in the interim. Head coach Mike McDaniel remains in place for now, but the clock ticks louder. GMs often want their own staff, and McDaniel no longer has Grier backing him from the top.
Ross didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “Our performance on the field and our team-building process have not been good enough. There are no excuses,” he said. It’s a message Dolphins fans haven’t heard often enough — from the top down.
Firing Grier doesn’t fix the draft mistakes or the playoff win drought. It doesn’t guarantee better results. But it sends a clear message: mediocrity is no longer acceptable. Not in October. Not in January. Not anymore.
Ross finally made the hard decision. Now he has to make the right ones to follow it up.
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