Bret Bielema withdrew from consideration for Miami Dolphins job over Russell Wilson

Bret Bielema says talks with the Miami Dolphins in 2012 about their head coaching job ended because the two parties disagreed about current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

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A lot of people doubted Russell Wilson’s chances of succeeding in the NFL heading into the 2012 Draft. But Wilson’s college coach at Wisconsin, Bret Bielema (now at Arkansas), was not among them.

In fact, Bielema felt so strongly that Wilson would do well at the pro level that he withdrew himself from consideration for the Miami Dolphins’ head coaching job in 2012 because the franchise did not agree.

From ESPN:

"It is the winter of 2012, and Bielema, Wisconsin’s coach at the time, is interviewing for the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins. He is a day and a half into his meetings, and is mapping out his plans with the Dolphins’ brass. He promises them a Super Bowl ring within five years if they pick Wilson, his quarterback at Wisconsin, in the upcoming draft.(…)“They all looked at me like, ‘You can’t say that. That’s the difference between college and pro. He’s undersized. He can’t throw.’ I was like, ‘OK, all right,’ and I honestly, that day, kind of pulled myself out of it.”Bielema says he couldn’t work for people he wasn’t on the same page with. (Former Miami GM Jeff Ireland, now a scout with New Orleans, was not made available through the Saints for this article.)"

Miami ultimately spent a first-round pick on Ryan Tannehill rather than the second-round pick on Wilson that Bielema wanted them to use. While Tannehill has performed decently since Miami drafted him, the Dolphins surely have to be kicking themselves for not listening to Bielema.

Being able to get a franchise quarterback without using a first-round pick is something NFL teams dream of and the Dolphins blew a prime chance. Now, it’s hard to fault Miami too much, considering every other team in the NFL passed on Wilson multiple times. But it’s still a decision that will haunt them forever.

In three seasons, Wilson has thrown for 9,950 yards, 72 touchdowns and 26 touchdowns while leading Seattle to a Super Bowl victory and helping put them in position to earn another one on Sunday.

The Dolphins have not made the postseason during the Tannehill era.

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