Dan Marino returned to the Miami Dolphins (news) as senior vice president of football operations Monday, a surprising move that gives the team a popular if inexperienced boss.
Marino was a record-setting quarterback and the last to lead the Dolphins to a Super Bowl. But there had been no indication of his interest in the job while owner Wayne Huizenga and team president Eddie Jones interviewed seven candidates in 10 days.
One of those candidates, Rick Spielman, was promoted from vice president to general manager Monday.
Huizenga said getting Marino the Super Bowl ring he never won as a player was his "side agenda" in making the decision to woo the quarterback back to the franchise.
"My love for this organization, my love for football, I think that's unquestioned," Marino said. "There are some people in this organization that have won Super Bowl rings. Let me tell you, I've thought about that a lot. Maybe this is the way I can get that opportunity."
Marino will report directly to team president Eddie Jones. Spielman and coach Dave Wannstedt will both report to Marino.
"It's a team game on the field and a team game in the office as well," Huizenga said. "We need two good teams to win. The name of the game for us is to win. Nothing else really matters."
Marino, who has been working as an NFL TV analyst for CBS and HBO, will fill a job created when Wannstedt was stripped of control over personnel decisions. The Dolphins went 10-6 to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1988-89
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