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To absolutely no one's surprise, the Miami Dolphins will not be a finalist for Super Bowl LII, to be played in February 2018. Instead, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and New Orleans will all compete for the right to host the 52nd AFC/NFC championship game, with the New Orleans bid likely considered the favorite at this point, given 2018 will be the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city.
Minneapolis will be getting a new stadium in 2016, and the league is in the habit at this point of rewarding new stadiums with Super Bowls, meaning Indianapolis is probably the long shot to receiver the game.
For the Dolphins, this marks the second straight Super Bowl decision to shun the site. Miami has hosted 10 Super Bowls, tied for the most of any host city with New Orleans, but will go at least eight years now without a Super Bowl since hosting their last in 2010. The Dolphins made a bid as one of the finalists for Super Bowls L, the 50th anniversary game, and LI, back in May, but saw those games go to the San Francisco and Houston bids, respectively.
The Dolphins currently have a 27 year old stadium, and is trying to find a way to renovate the site. With the opening of the new stadium in Minneapolis, the Dolphins will have the eighth oldest stadium, with only two of those older stadiums not having had recent major renovation projects - the Buffalo Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium and the San Diego Chargers' Qualcomm Stadium. Sun Life Stadium's only major renovation project was to retrofit the site for baseball.
The NFL are clearly sending a signal that, without changes to Sun Life Stadium, Miami will likely be shutout of future Super Bowls. The Dolphins had tried to receive a portion of the estimated $350 million renovation plan for the 27 year old stadium through a series of tax subsidies and an increase in the hotel bed tax in Miami. That plan died without reaching the floor of the Florida State House of Representatives.
The Dolphins will re-engage on a public/private funding deal at some point. However, until they do, we should expect to see cities like Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and New Orleans be favored for Super Bowls over Miami,
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