Omar Kelly: Dolphins owner Steve Ross deserves better, so he should set sights on Aaron Rodgers

I witnessed Steve Ross walking out of the Miami Dolphins locker room Sunday night after his team suffered yet another embarrassing loss, one he watched with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in his luxury suite, and couldn’t help but notice the scowl on his face.

It was the face of disgust, and more importantly, defeat.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Ross leaned over to Goodell at some point during the game and asked him about Deshaun Watson’s investigation and pending suspension.

And I wouldn’t blame him one bit because Ross deserves better than what the Dolphins have delivered this season — or better yet, this decade.

Owning the Dolphins has never been about the money, or the status, for Ross.

It was about entering the most elite of clubhouses possible — ownership of a professional sports team — and proving all the business success he had in real estate world translate to success in the NFL.

Ross has spared no expense to make the Dolphins a winner. And while we can argue about his coach selections (Joe Philbin was a disaster) and the fact he has stuck with some of his hires a season or two longer than he should, his heart is always in the right place.

And his effort is never lacking.

Unfortunately, his organization needs good decisions and luck to get off this mediocrity merry-go-round the Dolphins have been on since Dan Marino retired.

Unfortunately, both have been elusive.

I don’t know how this season will end. Honestly, it is too early to panic and throw in the towel, even though this team has looked like a disaster through four games. And that includes the 17-16 win over the New England Patriots in the opener.

Brian Flores, who is Ross’ third head coach hire since becoming the franchise’s majority owner, has turned this team around from worse.

Miami won five of its last nine games after starting the 2019 season 0-7. Miami then went 9-3 last season after opening 1-3, which is right where the Dolphins are now heading into a two-game intrastate showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Let’s give Flores a full month of games to fix the team’s issues before we push the panic button and insist that this latest rebuild needs to be scrapped and start over once again.

The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 2, which gives quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three games (Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Buffalo) to prove he can stabilize the offense before panic-mode sets in, forcing the franchise to make a strong push for the embattled Watson. And that’s just for this season.

Considering the Dolphins are likely bidding against themselves for Watson, which is never healthy (see the Josh Rosen trade for an example of lessons that should have been learned), I’d even be willing to wait until this offseason to close on Watson.

I’d actually set my sights a littler higher than the three-time Pro Bowl selection, who has a suitcase full of baggage stemming from 22 civil suits from masseuses alleging inappropriate behavior.

If I’m the Dolphins, I would be preparing to roll out the red carpet for Aaron Rodgers, signaling to the future Hall of Famer that when his run in Green Bay ends after this season that South Florida would like to provide him a Tom Brady-like ending to his illustrious career.

The Dolphins certainly have tried to address the quarterback crisis over the years, but luring one of the game’s elites hasn’t panned out.

Ross even tried to lure Peyton Manning, but his overtures fell short when Manning picked the Denver Broncos for his second act.

Considering the Packers would prefer to trade Rodgers to an AFC team, and the lone west coast AFC team in need of a quarterback is Denver, why not get involved with the bidding for the three-time league MVP who turns 38 in December.

South Florida is notorious for being a great retirement spot. The weather certainly beats Green Bay. There are no state taxes, meaning Rodgers keeps more of his money. And maybe the Dolphins can use the rest of this season to prove their foundation is solid.

Miami will have roughly $80 million in cap space next offseason. General manager Chris Grier’s ego-less personality could allow Rodgers to take on a Brady, Lebron James-esque role, giving him the influence to ensure he’s accompanied by his favorite target (DeVante Adams, a free agent), his preferred offensive coordinator and an upgraded offensive line.

Ross has habitually instructed the Dolphins to swing for the fences every offseason, and has given them the resources to do so, which is one of the reasons I admire him as an owner.

Why would he stop now?

The 81-year-old Ross isn’t getting any younger and deserves a better ending to his tenure as the Dolphins owner.

Rodgers would instantly provide that.