The Miami Dolphins have begun their search to identify the team's next general manager.
This page will serve as the home for all the latest updates throughout the search process, including information on the candidates and the latest news on each round of interviews.
(Updated Tuesday, January 6, 7:16 ET)
The Dolphins have added an eighth candidate to the list. On Tuesday, the team requested to interview Chad Alexander, Los Angeles Chargers Assistant General Manager.
Read more about Alexander below.
Chad Alexander
Current Position: Assistant General Manager
Current Team: Los Angeles Chargers
Alexander joined the Los Angeles Chargers front office ahead of the 2024 season and has helped the team make back-to-back playoff appearances. He served as the director of player personnel for the New York Jets from 2019-2023 and played a role in the team selecting cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the 2022 Defensive and Offensive Rookies of the Year. Prior to those five seasons, Alexander worked in various roles for the Baltimore Ravens over the course of 20 seasons (1999-2018). During his tenure, the Ravens won two Super Bowls and made four AFC Championship appearances. Alexander is a regular participant in the NFL Accelerator Program; a league initiative started in 2022 to amplify diversity in head coaching and front office roles. He is the son of Hubbard 'Axe' Alexander, who won three Super Bowls as a coach with the Dallas Cowboys and a pair of National Championships as a coach at the University of Miami.
(Originally published Monday, January 5, 6:15 p.m. ET)
The Dolphins have requested permission to interview the following candidates (listed alphabetically):
- Tariq Ahmad, San Francisco 49ers Vice President, Player Personnel
- RJ Gillen, San Francisco 49ers Assistant General Manager
- Alec Halaby, Philadelphia Eagles Assistant General Manager
- John McKay, Los Angeles Rams Assistant General Manager
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, Green Bay Packers Vice President of Player Personnel
- Josh Williams, San Francisco 49ers Director, Scouting and Football Operations
The first round of interviews will be conducted virtually this week.
The team will also interview Dolphins Interim General Manager Champ Kelly. Kelly was hired in 2025 as a Senior Personnel Executive and named interim GM in October.
For more on each candidate, see below:
Tariq Ahmad
Current Position: Vice President, Player Personnel
Current Team: San Francisco 49ers
Ahmad got his start in the NFL with San Francisco in 2014 as a scouting assistant. He was quickly promoted to an area scout in 2015, covering the northeast region for the 49ers. He was promoted to director of college scouting in 2020 and to director of player personnel in 2023 before being elevated to his current role as vice president, player personnel in 2025. He was the director of college scouting when the 49ers selected quarterback Brock Purdy with the final selection of the 2022 NFL Draft. During Ahmad's time in San Francisco, the 49ers have played in two Super Bowls and four NFC Championship games. The team also acquired 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffery during Ahmad's tenure. Ahmad took on his first full-time position at Rutgers University in recruiting in 2007 and was a three-sport athlete (Football, basketball and outdoor track) at Ithaca College.
RJ Gillen
Current Position: Assistant General Manager
Current Team: San Francisco 49ers
Gillen has spent 11 seasons with the 49ers and was named assistant general manager in 2025. He spent two seasons (2023-2024) as director of player personnel and three (2021-23) as director of pro personnel after serving the previous five years (2016-2020) as a pro personnel scout. He joined the 49ers staff as a scouting assistant in 2015. During his time in San Francisco, the 49ers have played in two Super Bowls and four NFC Championship games. The team also acquired 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey during Gillen's tenure. Prior to joining the 49ers, Gillen worked for the San Antonio Spurs where he assisted the team in preparation for the NBA Draft and free agency. He has assisted in consulting and deal coaching for NBA, NFL, and MLB front offices. He graduated from LSU in 2010 where he was a wide receiver on the Tigers' 2007 national championship team. He also earned a law degree from Marquette University in 2014.
Alec Halaby
Current Position: Assistant General Manager
Current Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Halaby is in his 16th season with the Philadelphia Eagles, serving as the team's assistant general manager since 2022. Halaby has won two Super Bowls with the Eagles (LII and LIX) and three conference championships. Halaby has played a role in acquiring several players who have been named to NFL All-Pro teams via the draft, free agency and by trade, including 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley. He began his career as an intern with the Eagles in 2007 and has held multiple roles, including vice president of football operations and strategy from 2016-2021. Halaby graduated from Harvard University in 2009.
Champ Kelly
Current Position: Interim General Manager
Current Team: Miami Dolphins
Kelly's experience in personnel spans multiple positions and football leagues. Getting his start in the United Indoor Football League, Kelly made the jump to the NFL in 2007 as a college scout with the Denver Broncos. He worked his way up to the assistant director of pro personnel with the Broncos before being hired by Chicago in 2015. He was the director of pro scouting for the Bears from 2015-2016 and the assistant director of pro personnel from 2017-21 before earning the assistant general manager role in Las Vegas. He was later named the interim general manager with the Raiders from 2023-2024 before joining the Dolphins front office in 2025.
John McKay
Current Position: Assistant General Manager
Current Team: Los Angeles Rams
In McKay's 10 seasons in Los Angeles, the Rams have won a Super Bowl, four NFC West titles and eight playoff games. Since joining the Rams in 2016, McKay has served as director of pro personnel, assistant director of pro scouting and scouting assistant. His scope of work includes evaluating all 32 rosters prior to free agency, writing advance scouting reports on upcoming opponents and college player evaluations prior to the draft, including 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse. McKay is the grandson of the former USC and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach John McKay.
Jon-Eric Sullivan
Current Position: Vice President of Player Personnel
Current Team: Green Bay Packers
Jon-Eric Sullivan has spent 22 seasons with Green Bay Packers. He got his start working as a scouting intern during Green Bay's 2003 training camp before earning a full-time position with the team's football operations department in 2004. In 2022, Sullivan was named vice president of player personnel with the Packers making the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. He spent eight years as a regional scout (2008-15) before becoming the director of college scouting in 2016. Two years later, Sullivan was named co-director of player personnel and served in that role for four seasons (2018-21). In addition to one Super Bowl and six NFC Championship appearances, Sullivan's time with the Packers coincides with the organization transitioning from one star quarterback to the next. He saw Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love all make Pro Bowls with the Packers.
Josh Williams
Current Position: Director, Scouting and Football Operations
Current Team: San Francisco 49ers
Williams joined the 49ers in 2011 as an assistant in the scouting department. He was promoted to pro personnel scout two seasons later and served in that role for three years (2013-2015). From 2017-21, Williams was the 49ers southeast area scout before earning a promotion to national scout in 2022. He was elevated once more in 2025, being named director, scouting and football operations in 2025. In his current role, Williams directs pro and college scouting efforts, supports player development, and assists in contract negotiations. During his time in San Francisco, the 49ers have played in three Super Bowls and seven NFC Championship games. The team also acquired 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey during Williams's tenure. Williams is a graduate of Columbia University and also received an executive certificate from Stanford University in 2022 through the NFL's League of Leaders Program.
