DAVIE, Fla. – Bill Parcells’ day began with reports he would rebuild the Falcons. It ended with him on the cusp of taking the same job with the Dolphins.
Parcells, 66, and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga agreed yesterday on a four-year contract to be Miami’s VP of football operations, according to ESPN, which employs the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach as an analyst.
The Dolphins declined comment, only saying no contract has been signed, and no one at Huizenga’s business office was authorized to comment when reached yesterday evening by The Associated Press.
Miami’s players were also caught off-stride by the news, which broke after they finished practice. “I don’t know anything,” defensive end Jason Taylor said.
So, for the second time in less than a week, an off-field story is dominating the conversation at Miami’s training complex. The first revelation came last Friday: Huizenga has been in talks about selling the team to two real estate developers for about $1.1 billion, although it seems that deal has since unraveled and there’s no immediate plans by the owner to sell even a portion of the franchise.
And now this: Parcells, who previously coached the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys, is apparently set to return to the NFL.
“Really?” defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. “You can’t control it. But somebody like the Big Tuna, regardless of who’s in the front office or who’s not, brings a lot of respect and a lot of credibility with him . . . If you’re a free agent out there, that might draw you in.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank was disappointed.
“We met with him this morning to complete the contract. At that time, we were made aware by Parcells that he was considering a revised offer from the Miami Dolphins,” Blank said. “He later informed us that he would not be signing a contract with us.” -AP