The Miami Dolphins have named Daniel Sillman their new CEO and head of football operations.
Sillman replaces Tom Garfinkel, who will step away from his role as Dolphins President and CEO. But Garfinkel will remain with the organization as a vice chairman of the Dolphins, Hard Rock and Miami Grand Prix.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is 86 and this move appears to be the next step in a succession plan. Ross first outlined that plan in January when he also revealed he had been offered nearly $15 billion for the Dolphins, although he did not specify details such as whether it was solely for the team or if it included Hard Rock Stadium and any of his other sports interests. Ross also did not name the would-be buyer.
Ross paid approximately $1 billion when he acquired the team in 2009.
While Sillman, 37, has been around the Dolphins and other Ross properties for a while, most people don’t know much about him. We’re here to help.
Here are 5 things you need to know about Daniel Sillman:
Daniel Sillman is Stephen Ross’ son-in-law
Yes, let’s get the elephant out of the room. Ross is married to Kimberly, Ross’ daughter. Most NFL owners – heck most professional team owners – like to keep it in the family if possible. Kimberly and her sister, Jennifer, will inherit the team as Stephen Ross’ successors.
Where does Sillman live?
His home address is in New York City but Sillman obviously spends a lot of time in South Florida.
Of course, Stephen Ross has a home in Palm Beach County as well as many real estate holdings.
Sillman co-founded a sports media rights agency with Ross
Sillman co-founded Relevent, a sports media rights agency, with Ross and served as its CEO.
One of the agency’s big moves was signing a 15-year joint agreement with top-flight Spanish soccer league La Liga in 2018 to help expand its presence in the United States.
Unfortunately, Relevent and La Liga’s efforts to hold a regular-season match last December at Hard Rock Stadium between Barcelona and Villarreal that would count in La Liga standings fell through after receiving a negative reaction from Spain, including in-game protests from players.
Relevent brokers $1 billion deal with CBS for Champions League
Four years ago, Relevent won its bid for the opportunity to sell the media rights to broadcast UEFA men’s club matches in the U.S. That led to the company brokering a six-year $1.5 billion deal with CBS for the rights to Champions League broadcasts.
They later won the rights to become the worldwide marketing and sales partner for UEFA and European Club Association joint venture UC3 in 2025.
Sillman’s other soccer connections
In 2017, Sillman was one of the people who helped bring El Clasico – a exhibition soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid – to the United States for the first time and only the second time it was held outside Spain.
Sillman was a member of the FIFA World Cup 26 Miami Host Committee Board of Directors.
He also was executive producer of two soccer documentaries: “My Name is Ada Hegerberg,” the ESPN documentary about the Norwegian soccer star considered one of the top female players in the world, and “The Perfect Chaos,” the Netflix docuseries about Brazilian soccer star Neymar.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Daniel Sillman | Five things to know about the Miami Dolphins’ new CEO
