No word on whether or not he was required to answer questions about his mother, but the Dolphins announced Saturday that general manager Jeff Ireland has received a multi-year contract extension.
Horrible drafts forever? Maybe! But the move does provide some stability at the top for the Dolphins, who recently saw Bill Parcells head for the hills and famously exercised nothing of the sort when a highly-publicized meeting between owner Stephen Ross, Ireland, and then-Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh left Tony Sparano twisting in the wind.
Sparano then received a conciliatory contract extension, complete with an awkward media roundtable in which it appeared he and Ireland might now be former BFFs. Perhaps the continuity will serve as a salve for wounded communication channels -- or something.
“The decision to extend Jeff’s contract as our General Manager was an easy one,” Ross said in a statement. “The young talent that Jeff has assembled during his three years with the Dolphins has made a profound impact on our franchise’s recovery from the 1-15 season of 2007.”
Here's guessing he doesn't refer to poor Pat White. Ireland, a former exec with the Dallas Cowboys, had one year remaining on a four-year deal. Exact terms of the extension were not disclosed.
“I appreciate the support of the entire Dolphin organization, from Steve Ross all the way down, and I'm going to continue to work as hard as I can with Steve, Tony Sparano, and the rest of the team to bring the Dolphins back to their long-time position as one of the elite teams in the NFL,” he said in a statement. "We have a young and talented nucleus to build on, and as we continue to add quality players through all the means available to us, we will give our fans the type of team they deserve.”
