The Miami Dolphins are looking to Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman to consult the franchise on their coming general manager search, according to a league source Thursday evening.
According to breaking national reports Thursday, it’s not a permanent role for Aikman, who currently is a color analyst for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” after a playing career where he led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles.
The Dolphins fired longtime GM Chris Grier on Oct. 31. They have since had Champ Kelly take on the interim GM role, and he is expected to be among candidates in the search for owner Steve Ross, president and CEO Tom Garfinkel and the rest of the franchise’s brass.
Reports indicate Aikman was chosen in the advisory role because he will bring fresh, outside perspective. His closest tie to the Dolphins would be that he was coached by Jimmy Johnson with the Cowboys in the 1990s, and Johnson later led the Dolphins later in the decade.
While Miami needs to find a permanent solution at GM, the franchise will also be making a decision on the fate of coach Mike McDaniel as the 2025 season comes to a close with Sunday’s game at the New England Patriots. McDaniel enters the finale with a 35-34 record, including playoffs.
Aikman made six Pro Bowls in his playing career in Dallas. He threw for 32,942 passing yards and 165 touchdowns as part of an all-time-great quarterback-running back-wide receiver trio with Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
He was the No. 1 pick of the 1989 draft after a college career that spanned stints at Oklahoma and UCLA.
Since his retirement following the 2000 season, Aikman has been in the broadcast booth, first with Fox and then with ESPN since 2022.
The last time Aikman called a Dolphins game was Dec. 15, and he was highly and persistently critical of McDaniel for not operating the offense with urgency as the team trailed by multiple scores in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This story will be updated.
