Although he never won a Super Bowl, Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.  In his 16 year career, Marino was recognized as NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and named  a First-team All-pro three times.

On this day, August 20th, in 1991, Dan Marino became the highest paid NFL player ever.  Marino’s contract was for five years with a $3 million signing bonus and a total of $23 million guaranteed.  Marino’s record contract came after a spectacular 12-4 season the previous year. At that point in his career, Marino had set 18 NFL records and his resigning with the Miami Dolphins was one of the most anticipated contract situations in recent NFL history.

Dan Marino would play the entirety of his five year contract with the Dolphins and extended his contract for another three years before retiring at the end of the 1998-1999 season.  Marino’s salary became the standard for elite quarterbacks in the NFL and paved the way for the high-paying contracts of today.