Ryan Tannehill knows all about high expectations with the Miami Dolphins.
The 37-year-old was selected with a first-round draft pick by the Dolphins back in 2012 with the expectation he’d be the team’s next great franchise quarterback. He was the first quarterback since Dan Marino (1983) to be selected by the Dolphins in the opening round of the draft.
Tannehill spent seven seasons as the franchise quarterback, but he led them to just one playoff appearance without any postseason wins. Fast forward to seven years after his last game with the Dolphins and Miami is still going through their winless drought in the playoffs, with their last victory coming during the 2000 season.
The Dolphins are currently 3-7 as they enter their Week 11 matchup against the Washington Commanders. They have a slim chance of making it to the postseason if they win this week against the Commanders, with the Jacksonville Jaguars currently occupying the last spot in the AFC playoff picture at 5-4.
They’ve already gone through a shakeup with the Dolphins’ longtime general manager, Chris Grier — he was the GM when Tannehill was with Miami — and the organization parting ways just a couple weeks prior.
Tannehill says he was a bit surprised that the move happened during midseason, but says business is business.
“Yeah, I guess GMs going in the middle of the season is not something you see a ton of,” Tannehill told Dolphin Nation on behalf of his partnership with USAA. “It definitely happens, but they’re usually not the first people to go in the middle of the season. He obviously did some good things there, and I guess they weren’t happy with the way things were trending. Unfortunately, I’ve been on both sides of that. It’s the business, and I wish him the best. I guess that’s something we all sign up for when we get into this business.”
Grier had been the Dolphins’ general manager since 2016. During Grier’s first year in Miami, Tannehill led the Dolphins to their lone playoff appearance with him as the starting quarterback.
At the time of his dismissal, Grier had been one of the NFL’s longest-tenured general managers. While the Dolphins registered five winning years and three playoff seasons under Grier, they never won a single postseason game.
With Grier now gone, the attention and pressure have now shifted to head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The hope is that the Dolphins can turn their season around in the second half of the year. They’ve already managed to pull off an upset over the Buffalo Bills in their most recent game.
A win against the Commanders could reignite the teams’ chances of making a potential playoff run.
Even though Tannehill never played for McDaniel, he spoke highly of the Dolphins’ head coach.
“Don’t have any direct relationship or interaction with him, but at times you’ve seen incredible power out of that offense,” said Tannehill. “When they’re rolling, they can put points up, and they’ve done some really good things. And then other times, it looks like they can’t get anything going. Obviously he has a good offense and has been able to build some good things, but just seems like this year, they haven’t been able to really put it all together on a consistent basis.”
While Tannehill is only two seasons removed from playing in his last game, it doesn’t appear the 37-year-old is looking to return to the field. The former Pro Bowl quarterback said that while he received calls and offers from teams last season, none “felt right” and he said he’s content with his career being over.
Tannehill said he’s enjoying life with his wife and two kids and says that “ship has sailed” when it comes to returning.
“Fully content, I’m at peace with everything,” said Tannehill. “Thankful for my 12 years and the time I was able to have there. So many great experiences, so many great friendships, so many things that I look back on in a positive light and thankful for all the opportunities that I had. But definitely at peace with everything and happy to be where I’m at now.”
