After months of speculation and debate and uncertainty, Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino has returned to the Dolphins. Again.
Marino broke the news on Twitter, but neither he nor the Dolphins have provided any details about his title, duties, or powers.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently reported that Marino will be a “special advisor” to owner Stephen Ross and team president Tom Garfinkel. That news comes nearly three months after Armando Salquero of the Herald reported that Marino and the team can’t figure out a role.
A decade ago, Marino and former owner Wayne Huizenga worked out a role for Marino. And he quit after only three weeks.
The last time, Marino assumed a John Elway-style role, which included Marino actually being involved in making football decisions and, perhaps more significantly, participating in the hours and hours and hours of grind-it-out tedium that needed to be tended to before good decisions could be made. This time, Marino will have no formal involvement in football operations, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT.
Instead, Marino will serve as a true advisor, also playing a significant role in community and business initiatives relating to topics such as ticket sales and stadium renovations. He’ll be available to the football operations in what is being described as a “support function,” which possibly means that he’ll be asked to clunk heads together if/when further dysfunction emerges among those responsible for the day-to-day operation of the team -- especially since Ross doesn’t reside in South Florida.
There will be no press conference or other dog-and-pony-type show, according to the source. Instead, the announcement came from Marino, and the focus will remain on the current players as the regular season approaches. Even if Marino’s presence makes fans wonder when/if the current quarterback will ever play like Marino did.