Troy Aikman’s consulting gig with the Miami Dolphins has officially caught the NFL’s attention, and not in a good way. The league is expected to review his involvement with the franchise, particularly in light of his continued role as a broadcaster with ESPN.

“In an email to PFT, a league spokesperson said the NFL ‘would address this at the appropriate time’,” Mike Florio reported.

Aikman’s influence was immediately felt, as he helped the Dolphins hire former Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as the new GM. The new front office then brought in former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as head coach.

After speaking about this consultancy gig with the Miami franchise, Troy Aikman alluded to what’s next for him with the Dolphins during an appearance on the Rodeo Time podcast.

“Kind of caught me out of left field — wasn’t expecting that,” Aikman said. “But I dove into it and decided I would do it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt like I was of some help. Where that might go, I’m not sure, but I’m going to continue to work with them.”

Aikman’s continued involvement with the Dolphins immediately raises conflict-of-interest concerns, given his primary role as a color commentator for ESPN and ABC. He, alongside play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, has been one of the longest-running broadcasting duos in NFL history, and next year they could call another Super Bowl together.

However, Aikman wouldn’t be the only former NFL player to juggle his broadcasting role and a job with an NFL front office. Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has faced a predicament after being a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders while continuing as FOX Sports’ leading color commentator. The seven-time Super Bowl champion has faced restrictions, including not being allowed to attend practices or enter the facilities of other teams while preparing for his broadcasting role.

Highlighting this dual role, Florio suggested the league should examine this practice more closely, as teams could specifically target individuals in this situation to gain an unfair advantage over the competition.

“For starters, the league needs to know more about what Aikman will be doing,” Florio wrote. “He said he’ll continue “in some capacity.” In what capacity? It’s a relevant question — especially since the Brady Rules, as potentially adapted to Aikman, could spark an effort by more teams to hire broadcasters as consultants or employees. With the Raiders and Dolphins doing it, the teams that aren’t are already at a disadvantage.”

While Troy Aikman awaits the NFL’s reaction to his interest in continuing to work with the Dolphins, the Pro Football Hall of Famer recently revealed how he could have taken up a front office role way earlier in his post-football career. However, the Cowboys’ superstar couldn’t move forward because of a significant personal issue.

This consultancy role isn’t just a whim for Aikman; it’s the culmination of a long-held ambition to work in a front office, a path he previously had to abandon for personal reasons.

Troy Aikman shares how divorce ended his dream NFL job after retirement

While Troy Aikman shifted into a broadcasting role with FOX immediately after hanging up his boots in 2000, the legendary quarterback always had different post-retirement plans. During his appearance on the Rodeo Time podcast, Aikman revealed his desire to pursue a front office role.

However, this dream did not materialize at the time, as he chose to prioritize his family after his divorce in 2011. Aikman and Rhonda Worthey, a former Cowboys publicist, divorced after more than ten years of marriage. The separation, though mutual, was mostly kept private at first, but it changed how Aikman approached life after his football career.

“The front office isn’t a picnic, but that’s what I thought I would do,” Aikman said. “And then I went through a divorce when my girls were still really young. I was a single dad, and then I felt that pursuing that would be selfish as well because I wouldn’t have gotten the time with them. So it wasn’t until my youngest graduated from high school back in 2021 that if I was going to pursue a front office position, that would have been the time to do it.”

As Troy Aikman couldn’t pursue a front office role earlier in his post-retirement life, the Cowboys superstar has taken serious steps towards this pursuit with his consultancy gig with the Miami Dolphins. However, with concerns being raised about a potential conflict of interest between his two roles, Aikman may eventually need to decide what his future entails.