MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Terron Armstead was walking through the Miami Dolphins’ new state-of-the-art practice facility and saw Dan Marino’s name on one of the offices.
The three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman, who was in South Florida on his one and only free-agent visit, didn’t know if he’d see the Hall of Fame quarterback.
Then he attended an offensive meeting during his recruiting visit, where he was being wooed by the Dolphins brass and coaching staff, and there Marino was.
“He came up and introduced himself like I didn’t know him, which was crazy,” Armstead said.
That didn’t close the five-year, $47 million deal, but it certainly helped, considering Armstead sported a retro Marino jersey — which was accented by orange sneakers — during his introductory press conference on Thursday.
Tyreek Hill, for whom the team sent a private plane to Ocala on Thursday to pick up him and his family following Wednesday’s blockbuster trade with Kansas City, couldn’t stop himself from being envious.
“Why didn’t I get to meet Dan Marino?” said Hill, a six-time Pro Bowler subsequently signed to a record-setting, four-year, $120 million extension to. “That’s crazy!”
No, it’s star power, and the Dolphins finally have more than one (cornerback Xavien Howard) on the roster for the first time in over a decade.
Hill’s such a big star he goes by “The Cheetah,” a nickname that plays on his reputation for being the NFL’s fastest player.
Hill intends to maintain that reputation by challenging his new teammate, Jaylen Waddle, to a race.
“Wherever I go, the Cheetah, he always has to prove he’s the fastest on the team” Hill said.
That’s a superstar mentality right there, right down to the third-person reference.
And it’s definitely welcomed.
Brandon Marshall, Ricky Williams, Cameron Wake, Jarvis Landry, Brent Grimes, and Reshad Jones were all nice players, Pro Bowl talents during their tenure with the Dolphins.
But the last time Miami had a superstar — a talent with the making of a Hall of Fame resume — on their roster, was during the Marino years, and the Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas era.
Miami did what it took to add two this week in Hill and Armstead, and general manager Chris Grier should be praised for closing both deals, which shook up the NFL landscape.
Owner Steve Ross deserves props too for approving the substantial contracts, and writing the massive checks it took to make both transactions happen.
Not every owner in the NFL can — or more importantly — will write a single player a $25 million check, which is the signing bonus Hill received.
Actually, if we’re being honest, that $25 million might be the signing bonus budget for the entire offseason for some owners. But Ross has proven he’ll do anything, and spend whatever it takes to build a winner.
He’s failed so many times before, so many different ways. But it’s not from lack of trying.
This time around he’s back to playing for star power. And he’s not wrong.
Howard directly impacted the Dolphins last season, leading Miami to two wins in 2021. That’s the impact elite talents make.
Imagine the possibilities of what Hill and Armstead can do. Maybe they could each lead the Dolphins to two victories apiece themselves.
That’s the type of impact playmakers have. They turn the game on their head, providing a play in clutch fashion, like Hill did scoring in Kansas City’s overtime win over the Buffalo Bills.
That’s why NFL teams pay handsomely for them.
The NFL is a superstar-driven league, and without those superstars on your roster the franchise is just treading water. So Ross instructed the Dolphins to find, and add, some. As a result, Hill became the sixth player he’s made the highest-paid person at their respective position during his decade-long tenure as an NFL owner.
If that’s not a commitment to winning, I don’t know what is.
It’s ideal to build a team around drafted talent, which equates to young, promising, cheap labor. But the hope is that one day some of those draftees turn into superstars, and makes the type of impact plays that change the outcome of games.
Plays that lead the Dolphins to the playoffs, and possibly more.
We’re talking the type of players who are remembered 20 years after they retire, like Marino.
Armstead was 8 and Hill was 5 when Marino took his last NFL snap, but the impact lasted. Let’s hope Armstead and Hill leave that type of imprint on the Dolphins these next few seasons.
