The addition of Troy Aikman to the Miami Dolphins' search team this past January wasn't entirely well-received, but it was hard to overlook. Aikman, a 25-year media member and Hall of Famer, gave his advice and may have led the charge for who Stephen Ross ultimately hired.
Aikman was hired in January to assist the Dolphins in their GM search, a search that he said was so much fun that when Ross asked him to stick around and help with the head coaching search, he couldn't say no.
Aikman's fingerprints are now on the Dolphins organization, but it's what he brought to the conversations that will stick out.
Troy Aikman believes the Miami Dolphins hired the right men to turn the team around
Aikman spoke with Rich Eisen on Tuesday as part of the Super Bowl media pre-game hype. Aikman saw similar skill sets that he has seen previously with Mike Vrabel and Demeco Ryans.
Aikman said he was impressed with Jeff Hafley, whom he spent time with in 2024 as part of his ESPN work.
"And I’ll tell you, I felt that way about Jeff Hafley a year ago, back in ’24, when we first did the Packers. Our first production meeting with Jeff, I remember saying to our crew ‘this guy’s going to be a head coach real soon.’ And he already had been in college. I believe he checks all the boxes, I really do."Troy Aikman
Aikman also said that when the Dolphins called him, he was a bit surprised. He said that former Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson had recommended Aikman.
Fans may wonder why someone like Aikman would be able to provide quality insight. For starters, he meets with members of every NFL team during ESPN production meetings ahead of Monday nights.
During the fourth quarter of Miami's loss to the Steelers on MNF, a game that officially eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs, Aikman got a first-hand look at how poorly the team was being coached. He had no clue he would be brought in to help fix it.
Aikman's input led Stephen Ross outside of the building for only the second time in his ownership career. He hired Tampa Bay executive Dennis Hickey to be the GM. Hickey answered Mike Tannenbaum.
If Aikman's input and opinion prove to be correct, the Dolphins' future might actually change. Jon-Eric Sullivan is part of an incredible Packers' history of quality general managers. He has learned from some of the best. Another thing not lost on Aikman.
Aikman started to notice Hafley more than a season ago, and his prediction was correct; he would indeed become a head coach soon. Not sure he planned to be a part of that discussion, however. Aikman said the team interviewed many executives and prospective coaches before landing on Hafley. Now, it's a matter of time to determine whether these two hires work out.