Examining Why the Dolphins Store Is Closed ... Unless It Reopens

The Miami Dolphins lost a lot of star power in the offseason, and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan doesn't really intend on losing anymore based on the comments he made to a small group of South Florida reporters who traveled to Arizona for the owners meetings.

Sullivan also explained why he ended up trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos despite the fact this was another player for whom he has a lot of respect.

The bottom line is that Sullivan is not seeking to trade any of the team's remaining core players, whether it be De'Von Achane, Aaron Brewer or Jordyn Brooks.

But the reality is that Sullivan always is going to do what's in the best interest of the Dolphins, and if another team decides to make him an offer he can't refuse, then basically there is no such thing as an untouchable player on the Miami roster.

HIGH ON ACHANE

That said, Sullivan also recognizes the value of Miami's 2025 team MVP (Achane), first-team All -Pro linebacker (Brooks) and second-team All-Pro center (Brewer).

All three of them are headed into a contract year, and the question becomes whether all three get extensions and who comes first, though the answer to that last question appears to be Achane.

And the Dolphins have some motivation to get a deal done sooner rather than later with Achane because fellow star running backs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs also are looking for extensions and it's entirely possible that Achane's demands could increase if Robinson and Gibbs get monster deals before him.

But, again, Sullivan made clear his position when it comes to Achane and the rest of the roster.

“Nobody is untouchable in this business because you never know who is on the other side of the phone and what they want to offer,” Sullivan said, according to Omar Kelly of The Miami Herald. “But there is zero effort on my end to move Achane."

WHY NEVER SAY NEVER

Likewise, Sullivan told the four Dolphins reporters in Arizona that he wants Brooks to be a part of the roster moving forward.

And the same obviously goes for Brewer.

But, again, the same applies to Waddle until Denver came in with an offer — first- and third-round picks in the 2026 draft — that was too good to refuse.

"We talked over the period of a lot of days," Sullivan said, per Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. "And what became clear to me is this was the right thing to do for the Miami Dolphins. Waddle is 27 years old. We're in a era where the market for receivers is through the roof and eventually, the chickens are gonna come home to roost with that, right? And so when we hit our stride, I'm not sure that that all meshed the way that we needed to mesh. We're in a position with our roster where we need to get younger and cheaper. And I just thought, and it was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins to get two rookie players, if I do my job right, if we do our job right as a personnel staff, that'll be on rookie contracts that we can grow with."

That logic was sound, which is why we called the Waddle trade a winner for the Dolphins.

But here's the thing: That logic also would apply for Achane, Brooks and/or Brewer if the right offer came along.

So maybe it's just semantics that, no, the Dolphins absolutely are not shopping any more of their stars. But they're also not completely shutting the door.