On his second BART Award and what it means to him:
"It's humbling. Very appreciative. I think any time your peers view you in a good light, it means a lot to you. So yeah, humbling and grateful for that."
On the prospective GM candidates in Green Bay:
"I'll tell you what, Green Bay is full of – they got a lot of really good people up there in that front office. I think when you look at Milt Hendrickson, John Wojciechowski, Richmond Williams, Lee Gissendaner, all those are very capable of sitting in this chair. They all bring a lot to the table. Different personalities, different skill sets, but all will have an opportunity, I think, in time to do this."
On what led him to Senior Personnel Executive Jon Robinson and what he expects from him:
"Kyle Smith and John Robinson for me will be tremendous resources. Obviously with 'J. Rob' (Jon Robinson), he's sat in this chair before. He will be a tremendous sounding board for me. He understands what's ahead, the pitfalls. The way that I looked at it when I was piecing this together is, I'm obviously the current GM, Jon Robinson has been a GM, Kyle (Smith) will be a GM; so I thought all of us together would be a pretty good team."
Q: The old regime, they made the move at quarterback to bench QB Tua Tagovailoa late in the year to go with QB Quinn Ewers. With you guys coming in and the new guys, what are you doing to evaluate the quarterback position heading into this year?
"We're evaluating the entire roster, right. As it pertains to Tua (Tagovailoa) – I know that question is coming, so I'll just get ahead of the curve – we've had conversations with Tua and his representation. Everything's on the table, including the potential of a trade. We don't know which way that's going to go. There's a lot of different factors at play, a lot of conversations being had; but evaluating the roster, Quinn (Ewers) did a nice job towards the end of the year. Excited about what's ahead for him. Tua, I thought even though things didn't go well at the end of the year, did some good things along the way and it's my job to infuse competition into that room along with every other room as we go down the road."
Q: As you build an identity as a franchise, how much if at all do you just consider the other teams in the division?
"I think you have to be in tune with what's going on in the division. We have a way of doing business. We have kind of a standard that we want to adhere to, pillars within our process; but yeah, I think you always have to be aware of who you're playing within the division and what it's going to take to beat those football teams or compete with those football teams."
On how he weighs prospects differently in the equation of players now than in the past as the players in the draft have gotten older and whether it changes in the first round:
"I think at the end of the day, like when you're talking about the draft, you have to do what you need to do to help your football team. Age, injury history, consistency of performance – all of that comes into play. I think if you can help it, you don't want a player going into or close to going into a second contract around thirty years old. Having said that, the climate of college football, there are situations where you're going to have to look at those things and consider that to get good football players."
On balancing what's best in the locker room versus salary cap implications with regard to QB Tua Tagovailoa:
"I think when you're talking about Tua or any other player, obviously there's a financial component. There's a level of play component. We're going to exercise discipline, long-term vision and future with every decision we make, whether it's Tua or any other player within our organization."
Q: Speaking of quarterbacks, you had a pretty good one who's going to be a free agent. What did you see from Malik Willis just from the guy that you traded for a couple years ago to the guy he became?
"Very happy for Malik (Willis) on a personal level, the situation that he's put himself in, Malik is a very, very good kid. It's a testament to him and how he played and the opportunities that he got. As it pertains to the Miami Dolphins, listen – I think I'd be lying to you – any team that is potentially in a needy quarterback situation, if they tell you they're not talking about Malik Willis, that would be a lie, but we've talked about a lot of people, a lot of free agents. Malik is just one of them. We have no idea what that's going to look like in our room. Is it going to be multiple draft picks? Is it going to be a free agent along with Quinn (Ewers), who knows? We have so many factors at play. We've got a lot of decisions to make as we move through the next couple of weeks, but I wish Malik the best. A lot of a lot of like for the human being. He's a great kid."
On some of the challenges of going to a team midway through this draft cycle, working with a new staff and what steps can he and his staff take to mitigate things potentially getting lost in translation:
"I think you just have to set a standard and an expectation as you move through. Like part of my job, if you get away from the roster for a second, part of my job as we move down the road is to be very clear in the way that I communicate with our personnel staff going through the free agency window, the draft window, make sure they understand their roles and their responsibilities and then sit back and watch them work. Where are we strong? Where are we weak? What potential changes do we need? I will say, to this point, I've been very pleased. I thought they did a wonderful job in draft meetings. I thought their background on players was very thorough. I did not see anybody in that room who did not have a deep passion and care for what they were doing, which was good to see."
On whether the salary cap structure can sustain possibly losing QB Tua Tagovailoa and signing Malik Willis:
"I don't want to get into all the 'what ifs' in terms of who we may acquire or may not acquire. I understand the question. Obviously, it's no secret that we're in a bit of a strain salary cap wise. I think you can always do what you want to do within the salary cap. That means you have to kick things down the road. We're in a position, without speaking specifically, I think we're in a position where we need to get back into a healthy state within our salary cap. So yeah, I mean I think any time you look around the league, there are teams that kick the can down the road every week. So can you? Yes. Will we? I'm not here to say that."
Q: Things are definitely different with you taking over, but the Dolphins haven't been afraid to release or trade star players. Is there anyone on the roster currently that you view as untouchable or that you want to build this thing up with?
"Yeah, good question. I think the right way to approach that is, there are players that we see as building blocks as we move down the road. My job as the general manager is if the phone rings, I have to listen. Any player is tradeable at a certain price, but there are certain guys that we definitely want to be part of the long-term future that are on this roster currently that we think are the right kind of guys. They're wired the right way, they infuse the locker room with the right kind of grit, toughness, leadership that you're looking for, and they're good players on the field."
On Eagles GM Howie Roseman:
"Howie (Roseman), it goes without saying, he's one of the best in the business. He's very creative in how he does things, very forward thinker. His success and the success of that team speaks for itself. A ton of respect for Howie."
Q: Under this idea, it seems like an ideal way to win would be with a young quarterback not taking up a huge chunk of the salary cap, being able to spend money surrounding him. Why do you think nobody's been able to win doing this?
"I think you can't look at those things in a vacuum. There's so many factors at play. I don't want to speak on what's going on in other people's buildings. I'm not in that building, I don't know what's happening with the roster. I don't know in particular what issues they're having injury wise, off field, I can't really speak to that."
Q: Is that what you aspired to do with QB Jordan Love in Green Bay? Is that what you aspire to do if you have a young quarterback?
"Yeah, I think anytime you have a young quarterback, you want to build infrastructure. You want to put a good football team around him so you can go be as competitive as possible."
Q: Why wouldn't a quarterback-needy team draft a quarterback every year or as often as they possibly can?
"I mean look, I grew up in Green Bay. You know the history there. I was not with Ron Wolf, but Ron Wolf's fingerprints were all over what we did as I moved through my career with Ted Thompson and Brian Gutekunst. I think back when Aaron (Rodgers) was our starter in 2008, but he was a young quarterback, he was not Aaron Rodgers yet. We drafted Brian Brohm in the second round and Matt Flynn in the seventh, and I think if you just look at the history of what Ron did and who Brett Favre's backups were with (Matt) Hasselbeck and Aaron Brooks and Ty Detmer, and you can go on and on, Kurt Warner, I don't think you can ever have too many quarterbacks. I think that the value of the position cannot be overstated. I think that you have to infuse as much competition into that room every year that you possibly can, but I think it depends on where you are as a team as to when you do that value wise within the draft."
On why teams don't use more roster spots on quarterbacks:
"Well, you only have 53, right? If you have a bunch of guys that are taking up roster spots that you know aren't going to play, I just don't think you have the flexibility to do that."
Q: The day that you guys hired Jeff Hafley, earlier that day you interviewed two black candidates, Patrick Graham and Kelvin Sheppard, which satisfied the Rooney Rule requirement to interview two external minority candidates. There was some chatter about the perception of that to check the box. Do you have a response to those who were perceiving it that way? Any thoughts about how the process is set up?
"Could not have been more impressed with Kelvin (Sheppard) or Patrick (Graham). They did a phenomenal job. They were legitimate candidates. The truth of the matter is there's a pace and a timing as to which you have to move to make sure that you're going to get your guy. You can't get left holding the bag. At that point in the process, it was clear to us that (Jeff) Hafley was who we wanted to go after and he had other options on the table, so there was a timing element to where we had to get on down the road to make sure that we weren't going to lose him to somebody else. I cannot say enough good things about Patrick Graham. I was with him in Green Bay. He's a phenomenal coach. He will continue to do great things in this league, and Kelvin was very, very impressive. I have no doubt that he'll be a head coach in this league one day."
Q: What was it about Kelvin Sheppard that impressed you?
"His energy, his command of the room. I think if you want to build a bully – Kelvin, he can lead men. There was a toughness and a command that he had and his ability to articulate that, and it wasn't false bravado. I mean, he walked out of the room and we all kind of looked at each other like, 'Wow, that was really impressive.' I have no doubt as he gets down the road in his career, he'll have a lot of opportunities."
Q: The identity of the old Dolphins was spread them out, quick passing game, offensive team. You guys are coming in from Green Bay, a little bit different of a scheme. What are you guys going to bring to the table with this new regime as far as what the product you're going to put out in the field is?
"As it pertains to me, I'm looking for good football players. My job is to build a foundation, something that's long-term sustainable. In terms of scheme, that's a Bobby Slowik, Jeff Hafley, Sean Duggan question, I'll let those guys speak to the particulars there. It's our job as personnel staff to bring in as many good football players as we can so that they have the flexibility to call the game aggressively, that gives them flexibility to call the game, those kinds of things."
On the line of thinking behind releasing WR Tyreek Hill and LB Bradley Chubb:
"I think the first thing I would say when it comes to Tyreek Hill in particular, marvelous player. One of one, Hall of Fame caliber. Very, very appreciative of what he accomplished here in Miami. I think when you look at just where we were as a salary cap, obviously he's dealing with an injury right now, his age, it just made sense for us to move on down the road. He was very understanding. He could not have been more professional in our phone call. And then with (Bradley) Chubb, kind of along the same lines, very good player, accomplished a lot of really good things. There's just salary cap implications where we need to get younger and cheaper, and those were some avenues for us to do that. But very good players here, very appreciative of what they did while they were with the Dolphins."
On QB Malik Willis:
"I think you have to take it all into the equation. I mean, I'm not here to say that it should or it shouldn't. That's a team by team, case by case basis in terms of how you weigh that. Like I said, I think a lot of Malik as a human being. He's a talented player. What his future holds, I'm not here to say. Whether that pertains to the Miami Dolphins or somebody else, we've got a lot of work to do here to figure that out."
On how QB Tua Tagovailoa played last season:
"I think Tua had some bright moments. I think Tua, if he was standing here today, would tell you there were some moments he wishes he had back, some decisions he had back. Tua has accomplished a lot of really good things in his time in Miami. I think people that are Miami Dolphins fans should be proud to have had him here, and we'll see where it goes. I think Tua believes that he can still be a high-level quarterback in this league. I think that's what his desire is to do. Where that happens remains to be seen, whether that's here or elsewhere."
Q: When the Broncos moved off QB Russell Wilson, they were obviously dealing with a really tough salary cap situation, but they were able to get back to the playoffs right away. The Dolphins are in a similar situation. What gives you the confidence that they can kind of replicate that success?
"I'll put it on me, I think where we are as a roster – here's the reality of it and you guys know this. We have eight picks, right? As we sit here today, we have eight picks. It's my job to be very creative and aggressive in how we use our eight picks, then our undrafted free agency process, then the 53 cut and then practice squad steals. We've got to build this thing out, but we have to build it out so that it's sustainable over time. You can't do that overnight. At the end of the day, to answer your question, I'm going to do everything in my power, 365 days a year, to infuse competition into every room by the avenues given within player acquisition."
On evaluating offensive linemen: "I think anytime you're evaluating offensive linemen, first and foremost it comes back to the tape. Are they productive football players on film? And then this is part of the process, how they measure, how they run, how they jump. You're dotting i's and you're crossing t's, but this process is just one part of the process for me, and I'm speaking for me. Obviously, you want big guys that are good athletes, but at the end of the day, it comes back to how do they play football. I'm looking for good football players; I'm not looking for guys that are particularly good testers but don't show up on tape."
On what is the most valuable part of the NFL Combine:
"I think getting to know the kids. I mean obviously – look, all of it's important. All of it's important. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be here. I think when you get a chance to watch these guys interact with, I say teammates, the guys that they're at the Combine with, when you get to see how they compete in the drills, obviously the metrics, how they test athletically, and then when you get to sit in a room and interview them and see how they articulate themselves and get a feel for them, ask them what's important to them, what do they want to accomplish when this is all said and done, the things that they say back to you, it allows you to get a look under the hood. What are they prioritizing? Is it winning? Is it things that are more 'me and I' or is it about the team? Those are the things that as we build this out in Miami, we want culture guys. We want guys that prioritize winning football games over individual success, if that makes sense. Those are the things that I'm looking for."
