My first year in the front office of the Oakland Raiders was 1973. That year, and for a couple prior seasons, the best team in the National Football League was the Miami Dolphins. When the Raiders hosted the Dolphins in the second week of the ‘73 season Miami had not lost a game in two years. Don Shula had led Miami to a perfect season in 1972, or should that read “the” perfect season, given it is the only one in the modern football era. Miami also opened their 1973 campaign with a win over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Raiders ended the Dolphins win streak in September that season but lost the AFC Championship Game in Miami four months later. The Dolphins advanced to their third straight Super Bowl and second consecutive Super Bowl win.
Yes, the Dolphins were very special and left an impression on me that was tough to shake. When I recall football in Miami I picture Shula, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and wins. That is history that has been clouded in recent years.
In fact, if one was to ask me which NFL team has the current longest playoff win drought, I would first consider teams like the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns or Las Vegas Raiders. When, in fact, the team that has gone the most consecutive seasons without winning a postseason game is, to my surprise, the Dolphins.
Miami beat the Indianapolis Colts in an overtime Wild Card game in 2000 and haven’t posted a playoff victory since. Their 25 seasons without a playoff triumph is two more than the Raiders, who have gone winless in the postseason 23 consecutive years. The New York Jets current streak has them not winning a playoff game for 15 straight seasons.
This is the time of year that optimism runs high in cities that have NFL franchises with legitimate chances to win it all in the coming season and those that are projected longshots. In Miami, with the departure of one-time top draft pick and longtime starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, and both their general manager and head coach, it is a new day in Miami.
You will find fans in the sunshine state who are more optimistic this season than they have been in recent years even while they are posted with their lowest win total odds in decades, 4½.
A number of avid Miami fans have slumped in defeat over recent campaigns when both their team failed on the field, and not coincidentally, in the front office. In fact, a heavy dose of dissension in the Dolphins front office began with Tua and the decision to make the Alabama alum their first pick, fifth overall, in the 2020 draft. The Dolphins head coach at the time, Brian Flores, wanted the Dolphins to take Justin Herbert with that selection, but Grier overruled both Flores and others in the organization to grab Tagovailoa.
That conflict played out on the field and in the sour relationship between coach and general manager. As often is the case, the general manager prevailed, and Flores was replaced by Mike McDonald as head coach. The one-time San Francisco 49ers assistant elevated the Dolphins to contenders. They even cracked the playoff field twice during his tenure but both playoff appearances resulted in losses. The Dolphins were beaten by the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 campaign and the Kansas City Chiefs to end their 2023 season.
The most recent two seasons in Miami have taken a dramatic downward turn and resulted in changes at the top. Grier didn’t finish the 2025 campaign as General Manager, and McDonald was fired after a 7-10 campaign last season. In addition to changes at the top of the organization the Dolphins have also made major shifts in their personnel on the field. The quarterback that was at the center of the bitter relationship between General Manager and Head Coach, Tagovailoa, is now with the Atlanta Falcons.
So where does that leave the Dolphins in 2026?
Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was most recently in the Green Bay Packers front office, has been put in charge of the Dolphins organization. His new head coach is Jeff Hafley.
So, what are the prospects for the Dolphins this season?
Las Vegas is down on them, but the fan base seems invigorated by the changes and while this is not Shula, Griese and Csonka, it is a welcomed new start for the team that has gone the longest in the league without a playoff win.
By the way, the Dolphins are only halfway to the record number of years in the league without a postseason triumph … the Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals had gone 50 years without a postseason win before beating the Dallas Cowboys in 1998.