Chris Grier – April 15, 2025
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Tuesday, April 15, 2025
General Manager Chris Grier
(Opening statement) – “First, good afternoon but wanted to address, obviously, the news of the day that people will be curious about regarding Jalen Ramsey. So really after a couple weeks of discussions between ourselves internally and Jalen and his representation, we decided that it was probably in the best interest for all parties to move forward. I will say, these decisions aren’t done quickly and they’re not taken lightly because we spent a lot of time this offseason working through this, talking through things. At the end of the day, Jalen did not ask for a trade. So we went through the process and just felt that after numerous conversations and then talking last week with Jalen and his agent that it was best to move forward and it was the best interest of the Miami Dolphins and for Jalen Ramsey. With that, I’ll open it up for questions.”
(Do you expect to trade CB Jalen Ramsey before the draft for a draft pick and other assets?) – “I don’t know. Trades come together at all different times. You’ve seen from before the draft, day of the draft, during the draft. I think A.J. Brown was during the draft when it happened. So when it happens, it’ll happen and if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it then.”
(I was just really curious the past couple of months. Why did you decide not to restructure QB Tua Tagovailoa, create $19 million and use that to sign the best possible trench players – defensive tackles, offensive linemen – obviously you added G James Daniels – and make sure that you had the best possible trench play on both lines? Why was that decision made not to restructure Tua to create that money?) – “We decided we just felt we didn’t need to. I think James (Daniels) is a player we were very happy to get. We’re still working through things roster-wise and with the draft approaching, I would say the strength of the draft this year aligns with where our needs are – where people would say our needs are. So from that perspective, we just felt there was no need to restructure Tua (Tagovailoa) and touch the contract and that we could operate and keep building the team and that whole process will continue through the draft, like it always does with the June 1st (designation) and all that, and we’ve done that throughout the years here.”
(Did CB Jalen Ramsey want a salary adjustment?) – “No, he did not.”
(So if he didn’t ask for a trade and he didn’t want more money, why is this happening?) – “Really those discussions I’ll keep internally. I’m not going to get out here and talk about it, but we had a lot of discussions on it from both sides and at the end of the day we felt this was what was best for the Dolphins and for Jalen (Ramsey).”
(Moving off from CB Jalen Ramsey, how recently did this come about? It doesn’t seem like – just based on free agency strategy – that you’re making moves with the idea that Jalen was not going to be a part of the team this year.) – “When you’re talking through the offseason and all these conversations are happening throughout the offseason, you’re still working, and you’ve tried to prepare for scenarios. Again, this was a long discussion, many discussions I would say throughout the offseason, so this wasn’t anything we rushed to and just said today, ‘let’s do this.’ So we’re prepared if he’s here, we’ll deal with it and if he’s not we’ll adjust as well. So we feel good about where it is. It’s never easy to replace a player like Jalen. He was a good player for us. He’s a good player, he’ll probably be a Hall of Famer, but for the Miami Dolphins going forward, we feel like this is the best chance to help us win not only just this year, but in the future as well.”
(Are you optimistic about CB Jalen Ramsey being in a Dolphins uniform in 2025?) – “I don’t know. I think at the end of the day, like I said, we’re talking to teams. I’ve had some discussions with teams, and we’ll see where it falls.”
(Is he unhappy schematically or how he’s used? Is that part of the equation here?) – “I’m not going to speak for Jalen (Ramsey) and coaches, so this is just a lot of discussions that we’ve had and like I said, we’ll keep those internally and they’ll stay between Jalen and myself.”
(The last time we spoke to you, you were pretty confident that WR Tyreek Hill was still going to be a part of this team’s future. Is Tyreek another piece that might be possibly moved during the trade or after the trade?) – “That is not anything that we’re pursuing. Like I said, who knows? If someone wants to come and give me two first round picks, then we’d consider it. But as of right now, that’s not anything we’re pursuing.”
(Has anyone called about possibly trading for WR Tyreek Hill?) – “No.”
(In your conversations with Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross, not just about WR Tyreek Hill but certainly including him in the conversation, including CB Jalen Ramsey and the state of the team, what’s his mindset? How would you describe it? How hopeful can he be that this team is going to make some noise in 2025?) – “I’m not going to speak for Steve (Ross), but obviously when you do a lot of moves like this, he’s aware, he’s involved on the discussions in this so he’s supportive of what we do and he leaves those football decisions to us. So he’s aware of everything, but he’s been good in all of our conversations.”
(How much of an effort was made to re-sign DT Calais Campbell and in the end, was it purely just financial considerations that led to him leaving for Arizona?) – “We had talked to his agent a couple times throughout the spring here, the offseason. We made him an offer and ultimately, he decided to go play for the team that drafted him. So happy for him and at the end of the day, he did a great job for us. We wish him well, but we’re excited for what we could possibly add here on our d-line here in the future.”
(With DT Calais Campbell departing, T Terron Armstead retiring, this now with CB Jalen Ramsey, would you label this at least a “soft rebuild” or “reset”?) – “No. That word has not been brought up at all. We have a lot of really good football players on this roster still at some places that impact games, so that word has not been used at all. Our goal is to win, win this year and keep winning for sustained success in the future.”
(Going off of the previous question, that’s multiple captains, it’s more than 30 years – I don’t know the exact number of NFL experience – are you confident that you have the leaders in place to achieve the desired results in 2025?) – “Yeah, that’s a good question. We do, and some of the players we added are quality human beings and people that have been leaders at other teams. But I do think in-house, when you have guys like Zach Sieler – just to name a few – you can say Tyreek (Hill), (Jaylen) Waddle, Alec Ingold, Austin Jackson – the offensive line guys love him. Those guys, they lead differently. They’re quiet guys in how they do it by example and stuff, so we feel comfortable, they know the expectations as we talked about as the (end of season) press conference. Mike (McDaniel) addressed that in what he told the team, and so Mike and leaders on the team have been meeting all throughout the offseason, talking about things, so very excited for where it’s going, and they know the expectations. So looking forward to see how this group responds.”
(What’s your response, or Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross’s response been to the most recent domestic incident police call involving WR Tyreek Hill?) – “I would say our statement that we released would probably cover it. I don’t really want to talk about people’s personal lives. I’m not going to speak for Steve (Ross), but Steve was involved with putting that statement out for the Dolphins, so I’ll leave it at that.”
(Did Steve want you to pull back on spending this year? It was pretty clear you did not participate in the high end of free agency obviously other than the G James Daniels contract?) – “No, Steve has never given that. Steve wants to win like we all do. He’s a fantastic owner that wants to do and wants badly for the Miami Dolphins to win as we all do. For us in a salary cap era you just can’t keep – when you have high priced players and you’ve seen it around the league with other teams. So make decisions. We have 10 draft picks this year for the first time with that many draft picks so excited about that. But at the end of the day we were just looking to sign some good players at prices that we felt comfortable paying and that continues all the way through the draft and post-draft. We’ve been in touch with a number of players as well that we are still tracking.”
(How would you evaluate your draft history with the three biggest positions in the league – corner, defensive tackle and guard?) – “I think defensive tackle, I think Christian (Wilkins) is probably the biggest one. The last time we went early on a guy. I think we’ve drafted a few guys mid or late that have been okay. But Christian is probably the biggest one. Corner, Xavien (Howard) is probably the best one that I’ve drafted. We’ve had a lot of success with some late round guys. Kader Kohou is undrafted. Cam Smith needs to come through at the end of the day. He’s got to stay healthy and be on the field. He has shown some flashes, but this is a very big year. He knows what’s expected because we can’t hold his hand and wait for him anymore. Offensive guard, the last time we really went were Austin (Jackson) and Rob Hunt and Liam (Eichenberg) were probably the last three we’ve drafted. They’ve all been players that have helped us win games here. Would I say I’m perfect? No, I’m not. There’s no GM that’s perfect, but working with our scouts and our coaching staff and what we do in the scheme that they believe in and finding the fits for players is always important and it’s been a pretty smooth process the last couple years.”
(With apparent needs at corner, guard and defensive tackle still unfilled, are you going to have to, are you willing to adjust your preferred best player available approach and consider more strongly players at positions of obvious need?) – “Yeah, it’s always a balance with that because sometimes the best player is a need; sometimes like we’ve talked in the past when I’ve said – JJ Watt, we had defensive players if he’s there are you going to pass on him? But for us, the draft kind of aligns with the position of need for us that people perceive and what’s on our roster right now. For us we think at 13 there will be good players there that will be NFL-ready players but will also fill a need. If we choose to stay there we’ll have options and if we move around we’ll take advantage of that as well.”
(Since the end of the last regular season game, WR Tyreek Hill has said the “I’m out” which I know that he’s clarified. CB Jalen Ramsey, you’ve given him permission to seek a trade. That’s two of your best players. That would seem from an outsider’s perspective to be a red flag indicating there could be in-house trouble. Would that be an accurate statement? Wildly inaccurate? How would you classify that?) – “I would say for people that judge, I would say wildly inaccurate, but that’s me. I think Tyreek (Hill) has shown that he clarified that and he has been here in the building almost every day of the offseason working incredibly hard. He’s been in touch with Robert Prince, our new receivers coach, pretty much every other day. He’s been working and doing all the things to show his teammates that this is where he wants to be, as I told you when we met with him after the season, he wanted to be here. There was no indication (otherwise). He has been, in terms of when he’s in the building doing everything, he’s been great. Things happen with players. You see it around the league. You guys have seen moves like this that have happened, so they happen for all various reasons and people don’t talk about them obviously because they’re between the player and the team. But no, there’s no internal (conversations) where people are trying to get out of here, and it’s still I think the other way because people wanted to come back here, a lot of people that we did not bring back.”
(You’ve mentioned it a few times, but for the people who all they see of WR Tyreek Hill is what he does on Sundays and what happens on the field. What makes you, Head Coach Mike McDaniel, the rest of this organization trust him as a leader, as a captain? What gives you trust in Tyreek Hill?) – “I would say because we’re around him when he’s in the building and he’s here and we see how he works and everything and how his teammates interact because they voted him captain. And we know with personal lives, people are always dealing with it and I’m not going to speak on anyone’s personal life or what’s going on, so all I can do is judge him for when he’s here and when he’s around the guys and the things he does that shows us that he wants to be here and he’s a leader and those things he’s done for the last two years here before last season. And so for us, very optimistic about him. People deal with stuff in their personal life, and I leave that to them to handle until it gets to a point where we have to talk about it.”
(Is your thinking with S Ifeatu Melifonwu and S Ashtyn Davis and with S Patrick McMorris and DB Elijah Campbell that your two starting safeties are in the building?) – “Yes. Yes, we feel good about those three and Elijah Campbell as well is back. So we feel like we have some depth there, but we’ll keep looking to add as well as we will to every position.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned at the end of the season about discipline and accountability. Some of the guys mentioned that, too. Now we had WR Tyreek Hill and what’s going on with CB Jalen Ramsey. Where do you kind of view the team’s culture now and going forward?) – “Again, when people are studying culture and talking about it, it’s always interesting because you take snippets of what it is or what one person says and you never know what people have going on. We feel good where it is. Like I said, Mike (McDaniel) when he first came here had his way of how he wanted to do things and this has been a steady build of doing it to the way we want it done. You’ve been around the guys so I’m not going to go into things, but we feel good where the culture is. Like I said, a lot of the leaders and players are involved in taking accountability for it as well, so all the stuff we talked about at the end of the season has been great and it’s continued all the way through the offseason.”
(Will T Patrick Paul be your starting left tackle or do you intend to sign a challenger? And did you sign OL Liam Eichenberg with the thinking that he will again be your starting right guard or just a swing guard and backup center?) – “In terms of Patrick Paul, yes, he will be our starter at left tackle, get the first crack at doing it. We signed Larry Borom who we felt really good about; we really liked him in free agency. And Liam (Eichenberg) will come in and provide swing versatility and he’ll compete for a job. He’s not promised anything, and he knows there’s going to be competition for it.”
(In past years – I believe this is your 10th draft – you’ve generally filled most positions with players that you’ve felt could not put you in a desperate spot going into the draft, addressing those needs. This year, completely different approach where you’ve left glaring holes on your roster. What created this change, philosophical approach? I know you’ve mentioned that you feel like it aligns with areas of strength in the draft. I know you have 10 picks, but you only have so many premium picks.) – “It’s a good question. For us, we feel good with our scouting staff and what we’ve done and our ability to be able to fill some holes with the free agency like we’ve done with the guys we’ve added. The strength of the draft was a little bit of the reason where we felt like, ‘OK.’ Like I said, we’re going to need NFL-ready players. There’s no like, ‘Hey, let’s hope this guy is ready.’ These guys are going to be forced into play, and that’s a good thing. So we just have to be right on the person and the character of the guys that we bring in here, that they’re going to do that. There was really no grand plan of doing it, it was just as we were looking through because you really always look a year into the future. Like when you’re looking at the quarterback’s evaluations and then go ‘who’s the next class of college player.’ So you’re always trying to get a peek at what the next year’s draft class looks like in strength. So for us, it just aligned to where it made sense for us to invest in some younger players at those positions and then we’ll fill in the rest post-draft through free agency.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us that the team targeted QB Zach Wilson as the backup quarterback. Why was he the choice instead of a more veteran experienced backup?) – “I think as we were all going through it and we spent a lot of time on that with Mike (McDaniel) and the offensive coaches and the scouts, and we just felt like Zach (Wilson) had a lot of potential and a lot of talent, and I know you could go the veteran route with someone more proven. Zach has won a few games. I know everyone is going to say his record and stuff, but I think for us in dealing with it and getting to know him, talking once he signed and getting to know him and going through it and going back to the relationships people had with him prior to the draft when he came out; we just felt that in talking to him and some veterans that he was the right fit and right choice for us because we do think that his skill set really fits what our offense does.”
(Would you rule out regardless of how the draft unfolds the idea of taking a quarterback in Round 1 that some of the national media has suggested?) – “I would say we have our starting quarterback, so I wouldn’t be looking to it. I never rule anything out, but I would not be looking to draft a quarterback in the first round.”
(Obviously last offseason you kind of made the decision to pay a lot of your core guys – QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Jaylen Waddle, WR Tyreek Hill, CB Jalen Ramsey – how do you look at that a year later given where we are with Ramsey and Tyreek’s year?) – “I think those decisions are always independent of what it is. They had to earn those paychecks and money and getting paid. So at the end of the day, I don’t look back and – it’s easy to sit back on everything and say like, ‘Why’d I draft this guy in the third round two years ago?’ They earned it, they’re good players. So for us, we just move on and adjust and just keep going.”
(When you mentioned Head Coach Mike McDaniel has been in touch with team leaders this offseason, is there anything you can reveal to us about the nature of those meetings and what he said to them or what he said he wants to see from them or anything along those lines?) – “I would just say there’s been a lot of really good dialogue and communication. I would leave that for Mike (McDaniel) to discuss with you guys here in the future, but it’s been really cool watching it come together and seeing the players and Mike talk about things and a lot of little things here. Because like I said, they feel good about what’s going on here and the culture, it’s just cleaning up some little things.”
(Are these meetings typical? Is this unusual for this season – more than usual this season, I should say?) – “I wouldn’t say they’re unusual, they happen. Maybe because of the urgency after the end of season that was talked about, maybe a little more frequently than it has been before, but you always do those things throughout the season when you set your goals for each season with the team.”
(With more needs than usual heading into this draft, would you be more willing than normal to entertain the idea or look for the idea of trading down to accumulate more picks?) – “Yeah, definitely. Definitely open to moving around in the draft, but also if the opportunity arises to get a really good player, I would be open to figuring out a way to go get them too, as well. We do have needs, but I think you guys would even say that there’s more good street free agents on the street now than there have been in a long time. It seems like a lot of veterans are waiting until after the draft to see where they’re going to sign. So again, there are opportunities to just keep building the roster that way.”
(This is obviously a high-pressure league. Do you personally feel any more pressure in this draft or this season to succeed?) – “No, I feel pressure every year to win. If you don’t have pressure and want to win each year, then we’re in the wrong business. We know what it is. We went to the playoffs two years and people liked some of the stuff we did, and then last year, we struggled early and couldn’t get out of it and now everybody wants us all fired. So you understand what’s going on; you feel the pressure but you don’t let it drive you. You do your job to the best of your ability and work with guys, and you have to work under pressure. So for me, it’s just doing the best job we can and making good, smart decisions for the Miami Dolphins.”
(Obviously Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross almost right after the season ended last year comes out with the statement saying that you guys will be back, but there’s this line in there where he said, “I’m not satisfied with the status quo.” I might be paraphrasing a bit, but has he issued any kind of ultimatum to you or to Head Coach Mike McDaniel that you need to achieve X. If not, I will find somebody that will this year?) – “No, but listen, Mike (McDaniel) and I want to win probably more than you guys in here, just to get you guys off our backs. (laughter) At the end of the day, like I said, it’s the NFL. To me, the crazy thing is when you hear some of the really good head coaches in this league that have won all the time and people are calling for them to get fired after a season. It’s just the nature of the beast; the NFL is one of the most popular league’s in the world, and you understand that. At the end of the day, you have to just work and try to drown out the noise.”
(When you say everybody wants us fired, how are you aware of that? Are you on social media or do people in the building tell you that? Your wife? What makes you say that? I’m just asking – do you read it yourself or do people tell you?) – “No, I don’t read anything. I don’t have anything. My wife has a good friend that they go out and she comes home and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, that Omar Kelly said so many mean things about you.’ (laughter) And I’m like, ‘That’s all right. He doesn’t like me anyway.’ No, I’m just kidding, Omar. So you’re aware – listen, in this digital age where everything is on everyone’s phone and everyone has an opinion on stuff, and I love fans – I’ll end it on this, it was hilarious. I get this package that comes, so I open it and it’s the nicest letter. It’s like, ‘Chris, hey, keep doing what you’re doing. Wishing you guys all the best, you and Mike, a long-time fan.’ And then I pull out the – there’s a shirt in it, and I’m like, ‘oh,’ I open it up and it says ‘don’t ‘f’ this up.’ (laughter) Again, I appreciate the fans, and I love the passion of Dolphins fans. We want to win as much as they do, and we understand it. Again, we’re trying to win. This is what this is all about, so we’re going to keep doing the best we can.”
(It was a t-shirt?) – “Yeah, with the full word. (laughter)”
(So what happened to the shirt?) – “Oh, it’s hanging in my office. (laughter)”
(On corner, did you all move on from Kendall Fuller for health reasons? And with CB Kader Kohou, do you in your mind think he could be one of our boundary corners instead of our nickel, or do you look at it as we need two boundary corners if we trade CB Jalen Ramsey?) – “Kader (Kohou) for us, he’s like a Swiss army knife, as you know. He can play both inside and out, so he’ll have to step up for us and very confident he will, because when he’s healthy, he’s a good, competitive, tough player. So with him, that’s kind of how we’ve viewed him this year, as one of the guys that has to step up, as well as like we said Cam (Smith) and Storm (Duck), all these guys, and the people we add in here throughout the draft and then post-draft as well.”
(And with Kendall Fuller, was it a health reason why you moved on from a modest contract for a starting NFL corner?) – “I don’t want to get into reasons for why, but one of my favorite people just in the short time I got to know him, a really quality human being.”
(With the 10 years running the draft for this team – you were former director of college scouting – what did you learn about the process and maybe about yourself that will help you in 2025?) – “It is an interesting question, because it’s an evolution and you kind of know how I work with coaches, so I’ve had three different coaches here. It is interesting, and they all have different types of players they like. It’s the adjustment but I think the one thing that’s common is just finding those guys that love football. They’re tough kids that are competitive and love ball. I think there’s some times when maybe I veered a little bit, guys were like ‘Hey, we’re just going to take the athlete,’ or something or whatever trait this player has, and you kind of are like, ‘OK, we’ll make it work.’ Sometimes it does, it doesn’t always. So I think we do a lot of work vetting backgrounds and personalities of players, and I think that plays a big role in the success of people, because like you said, these players read everything that is said about them. You guys know, and for those guys to handle it, it takes a special player to be able to handle it because they want to react to everything someone says about them. So myself, I think for me sometimes maybe I defer too much, and I’ve talked about that and that’s probably one thing I’ve learned that as I’ve gotten more along in my years that the push back is great and that’s what’s great with Mike (McDaniel). We don’t always agree on everything, but we always come into alignment to where we get to help the Miami Dolphins, so it’s been really good working with him.”
