Dolphins reportedly reach out to John Harbaugh, will keep Troy Aikman on as consultant

After a week or so of interviews, the Miami Dolphins have landed their new general manager in former Green Bay Packers VP of player personnel, Jon-Eric Sullivan. 

Sullivan has over 20 years of experience with the Packers, and was a prime candidate that the Dolphins organization should benefit greatly from having in the building. With the new general manager in place, the team is transitioning to find their head coach. 

Per reports, the Dolphins were initially slated as having contacted recently fired and former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Conflicting reports also indicated that it wasn't the case.

Now, it appears that the Dolphins have contacted Harbaugh and explained they are very interested in bringing him in. Additionally, NFL legend Troy Aikman is remaining with the team as a consultant.

"On the day the Dolphins finalized an agreement with GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, they finally reached out to John Harbaugh and let it be known that they, too, are in interested in him, per sources. So add Miami to the list of teams that would like to meet with Harbaugh," Adam Schefter wrote on X.

Considering Harbaugh is the top candidate for all of the head coach vacancies, it is not at all shocking that the Dolphins have reached out. It seemed almost inevitable. 

The Dolphins previously brought in Aikman to serve as a consultant with their general manager search, and it was reported that Sullivan was the top choice for Aikman. Now, the former NFL quarterback and analyst is also reportedly remaining on to aid in the team's head coach search as well.

Dolphins reporter Barry Jackson reported the news on X, stating:

"Per source, Troy Aikman will continue with the Dolphins in an advisory role during the head coach search. New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan is leading the search with owner Steve Ross, but Troy will stay on to advise in a similar fashion throughout the process."

Miami could have a shot at bringing in Harbaugh, but there is also a wealth of other candidates to choose from. None of the teams with open head coach vacancies have hired anyone, likely due to the multitude of qualified candidates in this hiring cycle.

This bodes well for the Dolphins, as they do not need to jump the gun on hiring someone quickly. That is, unless Harbaugh is their top pick and he starts to get quick offers elsewhere. 

The Dolphins have needed a culture change for a long time, and they have not had a full reset in over 10 years. With the hiring of Sullivan, this could be the first step in the team being able to shed its over 25-year streak of no playoff wins. 

Whoever the next head coach is, will have a clean slate, just like Sullivan. The Dolphins may need a year or so to fully rebuild, but things appear to be looking up already for the organization.