For football players, the tape is the resume. For executives and decision makers, the track record serves the same purpose.
During a 22-year run in Green Bay, Jon-Eric Sullivan worked his way up an organization that saw sustained success through shared principles and proven methods of a winning franchise – methods that produced a Super Bowl, six trips to the NFC Championship Game, 10 division titles and 16 postseason berths.
Now the general manager of the Miami Dolphins, Sullivan outlined his vision to bring the Dolphins on a similar journey, the pillars of his philosophy and the traits he's looking for in players as he builds the roster.
"Mental toughness, physical toughness, you start there from a character standpoint and a burning desire to want to be the best that you can be and win," Sullivan said. "That's what we're all here to do. At the end of the day, if you broke it down to one word, we're here to win.
Sullivan subscribes to the philosophy of building a team from the inside out – fortifying the foundation first and foremost. That approach creates flexibility and multiplicity. It creates adaptable game plans. It allows the program to win at home, in hostile environments, in the September Miami humidity or the winter weather in the Northeast.
"We've got to be dominant on the offensive line and dominate on the defensive line," Sullivan said. "Then, get explosive and athletic on the perimeter where we can attack all three levels of the field and give the offensive coordinator flexibility to call the game the way that he wants to call the game, most importantly, in any element."
Character is a core pillar to what Sullivan hopes to build in Miami, a trait he knows how to cultivate.
"We're going to draft and develop and retain our own," he said. "It's important to us that we raise our own because that's culture, right? We don't want a team full of mercenaries. That creates problems on multiple levels… But then within that, it's who you infuse into that locker room. We want people who love football, who want to be the best that they can be, who are selfless, who are good teammates."
Sullivan is eager to put his words to action. He's a coach's kid and a football lifer. He tried his hand in corporate America for a few years after college but quickly returned to his passion project – the game of football. It's a labor of love and the only way to conquer this game is through the work.
"I think if you don't have a passion for this game, and for this job in particular, you'll drown because it's a lot of work," Sullivan said. "It's a lot of late nights for sure. It's not a nine-to-five, and if you're passionate about it, you'll do well at it. But if you're not, you'll get identified pretty quickly."
Sullivan knows he has a talented core to kickstart this process. The Dolphins 2025 rookie class combined for more than 4,000 snaps this year, giving Miami a blend of exciting youth and proven veterans. Jordyn Brooks was a first-team All-Pro linebacker in 2025. Aaron Brewer was named second-team All-Pro center and Pro Bowl running back De'Von Achane produced the second-most yards from scrimmage (1,838) in a single season in Dolphins history.
"There are building blocks and pieces, but we have a lot of work to do in certain areas," he said. "It's our job to make sure that through the draft and through the other avenues, we are making this team as competitive as possible at every position. Because competition drives the individual to excellence."
As he begins the process of evaluating the Dolphins' current roster and preparing for free agency and the draft, Sullivan was very clear about his top objective – build a team moving in one direction.
"Culture is everything," he said. "When you draft and develop and you raise your own, they're bought in. They understand what the standard is. When you fall into the trap of bringing a bunch of guys in from all over the place, there is no standard. Everybody's coming from a different standard. A team full of mercenaries is a scary place to be because everybody's got a different agenda. When you're raised in one place together, your agenda is the same and that's to go win ball games."
For the full interview with Dolphins General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield. You can also find the conversation on the Dolphins YouTube channel.
