Former Dolphins GM Joins AFC East Rival

Rick Spielman helped the New York Jets earlier this offseason

Minnesota Vikings former general manager Rick Spielman on the CBS Sports set at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center in 2024. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins will see a lot of new faces around the AFC this year after regime changes with the New York Jets and New England Patriots, but there also will be one old friend in a front office role.

Rick Spielman, who spent five seasons in the Dolphins personnel department and was general manager in 2004, will be joining the New York Jets as a senior advisor. This comes after he and fellow former Dolphins front office executive Mike Tannenbaum, as members of The 33rd Team, assisted the Jets in their search for a new head coach and new general manager that resulted in the hirings of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, respectively.

Spielman has been out of the NFL since 2021 when he finished his 16th in the Minnesota Vikings personnel department, his 10th as general manager.

SPIELMAN'S TIME IN MIAMI

Spielman first joined the Dolphins as vice president of player personnel in 2000, rejoining new head coach Dave Wannstedt, with whom he had worked for the Chicago Bears.

The Dolphins made the playoffs in the first two years with Wannstedt and Spielman, and in 2002 Spielman was promoted to senior vice president of football operations. He became GM in 2004, but things badly went south that year.

Among the issues were an ill-fated trade with the Philadelphia Eagles (them again) that saw the Dolphins give up their second-round pick for QB A.J. Feeley, trading star pass rusher Adewale Ogunleye after he refused to sign his offer sheet as a restricted free agent, and topped of course by Ricky Williams retiring right before the start of training camp.

When Nick Saban was hired as head coach for the 2005 season, he was given personnel control and Spielman eventually resigned in June 2005.

He joined the Vikings in 2006 after a year out of football.

Spielman now is handling the same role with the Jets as former Dolphins GM Randy Mueller is doing with the New Orleans Saints. Also working in New Orleans is former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, who's now in the role of assistant GM.

Another former Dolphins GM still working in the NFL is Dennis Hickey, who has been assistant director of player personnel for the New York Giants since 2022.