MIAMI — The Dolphins hired ESPN NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Troy Aikman as a consultant to assist in their general manager search, a league source said Thursday.
Aikman, who recently began working in the role, will remain ESPN’s lead NFL commentator while assisting owner Stephen Ross in the Dolphins’ search for a new GM.
Aikman will discuss candidates with Ross, participate in interviews and serve as something of a sounding board. He already has made calls around the league and shared initial thoughts with Ross.
He is not a candidate for the GM job and will not be the joining the Dolphins on a full-time basis, the source said.
The Dolphins have been laying the groundwork for their GM search and the process will intensify next week, with interviews expected to begin shortly after the regular season ends on Sunday. NFL teams cannot interview executives with other teams until the season has concluded, but Miami has done considerable research on candidates.
The team’s interim GM, Champ Kelly, is expected to be among those interviewed for the permanent position. But the team plans to conduct a thorough search and consider a wide range of candidates. According to NFL Network, Dolphins are focusing on candidates with a strong scouting background.
Ross was believed to be drawn to Aikman because he has contacts throughout the NFL and knows the league well in part because he meets with teams weekly in his role as an analyst for “Monday Night Football.” In that role, he asks questions of coaches and players around the league — a skill that should serve him well when he participates in GM interviews.
Hiring an outside consultant to help with a search is not unusual. Commanders owner Josh Harris used former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers as a consultant in their coaching and GM searches two years ago.
Last year, Jets owner Woody Johnson hired former Dolphins and Jets executive Mike Tannenbaum to help with the team’s search for a new head coach. Other teams have hired consulting firms.
Aikman will not be involved in anything regarding the head coaching situation.
Nobody would be surprised if Mike McDaniel returns next season — NFL Network has said that’s expected — but no final decision has been conveyed.
Aikman, 59, was the first overall pick in the 1989 draft and won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys. He and Joe Buck recently announced the Dolphins’ Dec. 15 loss in Pittsburgh.
He will call three remaining games this season for ESPN — Saturday’s Seahawks-49ers game, a wild-card playoff game and a divisional round playoff game. Otherwise, he will be assisting the Dolphins in their search for a permanent replacement for Chris Grier, who was fired Oct. 31.
