You're now on the clock and the clock is ticking.

[Pappy13]

I heard you when you said that you were going to build the team in the draft and I believed you. I heard you when you said that you were going to build the team from the trenches out to be tough and disciplined and I believed you. I heard you when you said you were going to bring in a QB competition every couple of years and I believed you. I knew that Tua wasn't the future and cutting him meant eating his $99M cap hit as well.

So, I was prepared. I was ready for 2026 to be a gimme. I knew that cutting Tua meant no cap space for 2026. I knew that Ewers probably wasn't the future and that 2026 would get ugly, but I also knew the plan was to get a top notch rookie in the QB class of 2027 and that he would be the future and that wouldn't cost us much toward the salary cap so that would solve that issue. I also knew that a rookie would take some time getting used to the pros so 2027 probably wouldn't be much better than 2026. I knew that the roster had some holes too and they would take some time to fill as well, but I also knew that the roster had some bright spots like Achane and Waddle and some guys that were at least capable like Chubb, Fitzpatrick and Brewer so a couple of years of solid drafts would fill in a lot of the gaps and then we would be on our way.

So I knew that it was going to take some time. I knew that 2026 and probably 2027 wouldn't be playoff years, but by 2028 we would be headed in the right direction and by 2029 we would be where we wanted, winning the AFC East, so I knew it was a 4 year plan going into this year and I was on board with that plan.

Then everything changed. You said screw that plan, I have a better one. Sign Malik Willis to a 3 year contract and that 4 year plan goes out the window. We are going to have to gut the roster to do it and the salary cap problems are going to have to wait to get fixed, but I can put a team around Willis anyway and I now have 3 years to do it. The Patriots did it in two, surely I can do it in 3 even with Tua hanging over my head.

Ok, we'll do it your way. The expectations have been set. 3 years is all you're going to need to get the Dolphins to the top of the AFC East. I gotta admit you have some balls to call that the plan, I wouldn't have done it, but if you're that confident you can pull it off then who am I to argue with you? So you got 3 years. 3 years to get the Dolphins to the AFC East title. 2 would be better, but I'll settle for 3.

Anything beyond that though is not part of the plan. You've set the expectations and I'll expect you to deliver or I'll be calling the plan a failure. Remember this is the plan that you came up with, I didn't choose it for you and neither did Grier or McDaniel or even Ross. So I don't want to hear any BS about well Tua's contract or well Mike McDaniel or well Grier. No, this was the plan that you chose AFTER knowing about all of that, so those things aren't an excuse anymore. It's YOUR team now and it's YOUR plan. This is what you chose. Fair enough. You now have 3 years to prove it. You're now on the clock and the clock is ticking....

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The Patriots did it in two, surely I can do it in 3

Patriots had a shitload of cash to spend in free agency and went nuts last off season. 

[Spider-Dan]

There's no such thing as a "4-year plan" in the NFL, and anyone who you to wait four years for results is trying to pull a fast one on you.

There are countless examples of teams that have went from the gutter to playoff success in 2 years.

[Spider-Dan]

Patriots had a shitload of cash to spend in free agency and went nuts last off season.

DEN made the playoffs the same year they took an $85M cap hit for cutting Russ, and were hosting the AFCCG as the #1 seed the following year (with Russ as the team's highest paid player).

[Pappy13]

There's no such thing as a "4-year plan" in the NFL, and anyone who you to wait four years for results is trying to pull a fast one on you.

Not results, an AFC East title. Sure, I'd like to see "results" in 2 years, but not an AFC East title, that I expected to take longer.

There are countless examples of teams that have went from the gutter to playoff success in 2 years.

With the cap issues that Miami has? I mean sure, it's possible but to expect that is crazy or at least I thought it was prior to Monday. Apparently the Dolphins front office doesn't agree with me. Ok, fair enough. Prove it.

[Sibster]

DEN made the playoffs the same year they took an $85M cap hit for cutting Russ, and were hosting the AFCCG as the #1 seed the following year (with Russ as the team's highest paid player).

And would've been in the Super Bowl had Nix not gotten hurt.   

Buffalo did their division rivals a huge favor.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

DEN made the playoffs the same year they took an $85M cap hit for cutting Russ, and were hosting the AFCCG as the #1 seed the following year (with Russ as the team's highest paid player).

And they replaced him with rookie not an overpaid vet.  

It is not about one player.  In 2025 Denver had the 17th most dead money (so right in the middle)

If Tua was your only expensive dead money it would be manageable.  But you also have Hill, Ramsey, Fitz and soon Chubb.  You could have 5 of your 6 most expensive players not on the roster.  

Every winning team has overcame some mistakes. But winning teams become winning teams by not continuing to compound their mistakes.  

[Spider-Dan]

NE went from 4 wins to the Super Bowl the following year.
DEN went from an $85M cap hit to the #1 seed in two years.

So even if MIA sucks in 2026 - even if they win only 4 games - there's no reason to think they can't have the best record in the league two years later.
Because that's the kind of league the NFL is.

[masterfins]

NE went from 4 wins to the Super Bowl the following year.
DEN went from an $85M cap hit to the #1 seed in two years.

So even if MIA sucks in 2026 - even if they win only 4 games - there's no reason to think they can't have the best record in the league two years later.
Because that's the kind of league the NFL is.

Spider you always focus on the anomalies to make your points; there is plenty of reason to believe Miami won't have the best record in the league in two years.  Why don't you give Ewers the Tom Brady comparison? or Peyton Manning comparison?

Or maybe you should just say if Miami is lucky enough to win 4 games this year then they would be lucky to win 8 or 9 games the following year because even that result would be above the norm; not a Denver or NE type situation.

[masterfins]

I'm with Pappy, all this new regime had to do was ride with Tua on the bench this year and have a 4 or 5 win season, then draft a QB next year with a rookie contract cost.  Then they could have cap space and a pretty good team in 2028 if they drafted correctly.  Instead they pull this stupid QB swap to get Willis which adds $20 mil to the cap for this year, which they don't have.  Now they are going to let existing talent go to get under the cap and the only players they can sign are league min players that nobody wants.  This will result in an even worse record for 2026, and like Grier they will refuse to give up on their guy, Willis, and they will miss the window to draft their future QB next year.  They are shooting for maybe an 8 or 9 win season in 2027 and 2028; after which they will hopefully be replaced.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

NE went from 4 wins to the Super Bowl the following year.
DEN went from an $85M cap hit to the #1 seed in two years.

So even if MIA sucks in 2026 - even if they win only 4 games - there's no reason to think they can't have the best record in the league two years later.
Because that's the kind of league the NFL is.

Not all four win teams are created equal.  A team can have a losing season and only be 2 or 3 players away from the superbowl.  The Dolphins are in much worse shape than Denver or NE was.  

But the Dolphins have a path to bounce back or at least they did before they signed Willis.  All rebounds require two things:  1) the team needs to make smart decisions and 2) get lucky.

Paying a player with 6 starts like he is a proven vet is not making good decision.  Particularly if that represents more money than you have to spend in FA.  

The path for the Dolphins includes getting lucky with Ewers or a rookie at QB, but this siging prevents getting lucky.  Also it includes using what little FA money you have signing a bunch of guys coming off a bad year or two.  Guys that most likely are going to suck, but that you can sign for league min and if they play as good next year as they did 4 years ago they will be nominated for CBPOY.  Also it means signing UDFA giving them a chance to prove themselves.  If you get lucky on some of them and are down to only a few holes then you can target what is left.  If you don't get lucky you try again.  But using all your money one one spot that might not even be a hole is making bad decisions.  

Yes, every team is only 2 or 3 years from being a superbowl team if the team makes good decisions and gets lucky.  But the Dolphins are making bad decisions and aren't setting themselves up to even have a chance at being lucky.  

The smartest signing of the off season was by Atlanta.  The downside is $1million, the upside is a QB. 

[Spider-Dan]

Spider you always focus on the anomalies to make your points; there is plenty of reason to believe Miami won't have the best record in the league in two years.

It's not an "anomaly" if it happens almost every year.  Bottom-feeders regularly turn around and have playoff success in just one season.

2025 Patriots, 2024 Commanders, 2023 Texans, 2022 Giants, 2021 Bengals, 2020 Buccaneers, 2019 49ers, etc.

[Spider-Dan]

Yes, every team is only 2 or 3 years from being a superbowl team if the team makes good decisions and gets lucky.  But the Dolphins are making bad decisions and aren't setting themselves up to even have a chance at being lucky.

NE was making terrible decisions for years and turned it all around in one offseason.  I didn't hear anyone talking about how savvy and wise the Patriots were after that 4-win season.

The smartest signing of the off season was by Atlanta.  The downside is $1million, the upside is a QB.

By this logic, MIA and ARI could have tied for "the smartest signing of the offseason" by signing the QB the other just cut.