The Miami Dolphins lost 38-10 in their regular season finale against the New England Patriots. Since that game, the Dolphins have made major changes to the team. Following their 7-10 season, owner Stephen Ross decided the status quo wasn’t good enough and that the team was in need of a new general manager and head coach.
Former general manager Chris Grier had already been fired by the Dolphins after their 1-6 start, but despite Mike McDaniel being expected to return, the team opted to part ways. The news of McDaniel’s dismissal is bad news for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers, who was auditioning for the Dolphins’ starting job in 2026. McDaniel had previously said that Ewers would get a look as the team’s starter next season, but with McDaniel no longer at the helm, it will no longer be his decision to make.
Ewers was not the only Dolphins player to receive bad news this week, as one Dolphins player was punished by the NFL for his actions in the loss to New England.
Dolphins Player Punished by NFL
Every year, the NFL and NFL Players Association agree on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures. According to the NFL, the purpose of this is “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity.” In the 2025 NFL regular season, 368 plays resulted in fines.
Unfortunately for Miami Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson, he was the last player to receive a fine by the NFL. With 1:56 remaining in the second quarter, Dodson tackled Patriots’ running back TreVeyon Henderson, but he grabbed him by the facemask. The action resulted in a 15-yard penalty and additional NFL punishment. Dodson was fined $11,593 for unnecessary roughness (facemask).
Ultimately, Dodson can choose to appeal his fine. If he were to appeal, his case would be “heard by appeals officers and former NFL players, Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster or Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and paid by the NFL/NFLPA. The decisions made are final and binding.”
Dodson’s Future in Miami
The Dolphins linebacker started 16 games for the team this season, and set a new career-high with five sacks this season. After being claimed off waivers by the Dolphins in the second half of the 2024 season, Dodson signed a two-year extension prior to the season to stay with the Dolphins.
However, the man in charge of offering that extension is no longer with the Dolphins franchise. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will be the man in charge of personnel decisions going forward, and unfortunately for Dodson, his contract has an out after the 2025 season. Dodson has a $3.7 million cap hit in 2026, but with no guaranteed money remaining on his contract, Miami could release him and save some cap space.
It will be difficult to replicate Dodson’s productivity with the Dolphins. Aside from his five sacks, Dodson was second on the team with 129 tackles.
Dolphins Player Punished for Actions in Season Finale