One of the key figures in this new version of the Miami Dolphins is a Hall of Fame quarterback.

We’re not talking about Dan Marino either — former Dallas Cowboysquarterback Troy Aikman was the man tabbed by Miami’s leadership to offer his insight into Miami’s search. The idea was simple: Aikman’s broadcasting career offers stellar access to coaches and executives across the league. And so Aikman used those connections to help Miami conduct a thorough general manager search and then, unexpectedly, stick around for the head coaching search. Both jobs came up ‘green’, with former Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley getting the call.

Now, in a new interview with Rich Eisen, Aikman dishes some insight into his role in the search and how soon he knew Hafley was going to be a strong head coach candidate. Spoiler alert: it was back in 2024.

Troy Aikman slots new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley in some very, very good company

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“In broadcasting, obviously I’ve been doing this a long time. 25 years. There have been coaches who when I’ve had production meetings with them, who I didn’t know, and as soon as I meet them, I’ve said ‘wow this guy’s not going to be a coordinator long. He’s going to be a head coach real soon!’ I thought Mike Vrabel was that guy. I thought DeMeco Ryans was that guy. 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.”

— Dolphins 2026 consultant Troy Aikman on the team’s head coach selection of Jeff Hafley

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If Aikman’s instincts are right, it’s hard to imagine Miami Dolphins fans being disappointed by this new era of Dolphins football. Putting Hafley in the company of Vrabel, who was the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2017 before getting the Tennessee Titans job, and Ryans, who was the 49ers defensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2021-2022 before getting the Texans job? That’s high praise. Ryans has a career win percentage of 0.627 and three playoff wins in three seasons in Houston. Vrabel has a .586 win percentage and a 5-3 playoff record.

It’s also reassuring to know that Aikman’s been on the scent of Hafley going back to 2024 and that this far preceded his influence in Miami’s general manager search. The stars have aligned for supreme alignment in the Dolphins’ front office regardless — and everyone involved feels strongly it is essential to build the team the “right” way.

Time will tell what this version of Miami brings. The franchise is far past due for some good fortunes. Aikman seems to think good things are on the way — and not just because his preferred choice at general manager liked the guy who got the call at head coach, too. Aikman was on him far before that. Here’s hoping they’re both right.

Related: One of Jeff Hafley’s more mysterious Dolphins coaching hires comes with a golden reputation

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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.