The Miami Dolphins are in a precarious position in 2025. Typically, the home of some of the NFL’s biggest stars, many of Miami’s prized players have departed from the team since last season, a season that resulted in massive disappointment due to injuries, lack of effort, and a crumbling team culture. That same turmoil bled into this offseason, leading many to believe that 2025 could be a make-or-break year for the team’s core, coaching staff, and front office. In this piece, I’ll analyze the concerns many in the league have about the Dolphins, where that leaves them for 2025, and what their future may look like. As always, for more NFL offseason content check out my previous work HERE.
Miami Dolphins 2024 Season Recap
After an extremely promising 2023 season, which got derailed by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s health, a healthy Dolphins team looked primed to compete for the AFC East and potentially make a deep playoff run in 2024. The wheels fell off quickly during a week two loss against Buffalo, in which Tagovailoa successfully scrambled to convert a fourth down late in the game, while at the same time colliding head-on with safety Damar Hamlin, giving Tagovailoa at least his third career concussion and sidelining him until week eight.
The offense never quite looked the same without him, and with star defensive players like Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb going down with injuries, the team’s outlook quickly turned negative. Though Tagovailoa would return mid-season, the offense never quite hit its stride, and the team lost its edge. A subpar 8-9 season would be the least of their worries, as offseason turmoil would soon begin.
Miami Dolphins 2025 Offseason and Culture Downfall
How long did it take for the drama to engulf the Miami Dolphins offseason? Just minutes after their week 18 loss to Buffalo, when star receiver Tyreek Hill all but said he “Needed to do what’s best for his career,” which included exploring options outside Miami. With his signs of poor effort throughout the year, this was no surprise, but making these comments minutes after such a dissapointing season underscored the lack of team camaraderie and pointed to much larger issues within the organization.
While Hill and the Dolphins would eventually reconcile, top defensive back Jalen Ramsey went the opposite way. In April, General Manager Chris Grier confirmed that the team and Ramsey had mutually agreed to explore trade options. The most surprising part of the eventual trade was that it included Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith, stripping the Dolphins offense of an integral weapon.
Behind the scenes, a variety of issues, including the handling of Tagovailoa’s health, Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s relaxed coaching style, including catering to star players, and a lack of locker room cohesion, have reportedly been the source of internal strife, leading to the poor on-field product we saw last year. Chris Grier’s problems go even further back, from a complete disconnect with former Head Coach Brian Flores, the mishandling of former star cornerback Xavien Howard’s contract, and multiple aggressive trades without much payout, which have landed him squarely on the hot seat, along with his head coach.
Miami Dolphins 2025 Season Outlook and Future
With key players like Jalen Ramsey, Terron Armstead, Austin Jackson, Jonnu Smith, Kendall Fuller, Jevon Holland, Jaelen Phillips, and Bradley Chubb all either departed or returning from major injuries, the once-star-studded Dolphins roster looks more depleted than ever. While the Jalen Ramsey trade did net them superstar safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in return, the defensive back group looks to be one of the worst in the league. Concerns around the inability to protect Tua Tagovailoa remain, and with the core of offensive skill players mainly regressing, he won’t be getting any more help than he had last year.
When combining those factors with a decaying culture and an extremely talented AFC, Miami looks to be in store for a rough season. With the front office mismanagement, coaching turmoil, and lack of player availability, don’t be surprised if by the 2026 offseason, Miami is under completely new management with questions of how to get off of Tagovailoa’s $124 million in remaining guarantees.
Good luck this year, Dolphins fans – you’ll likely need it.
Main Image: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
