In December 2007, Bill Parcells signed a four-year contract to become the the executive vice president for football operations of the Miami Dolphins. On Tuesday, the team announced that Parcells is giving up control of the team, leaving general manager Jeff Ireland in charge.  Parcells will remain with the Dolphins as a “daily consultant,” and continue to maintain an office at the team’s practice facility.

The team announced the move in a short statement:

Effective immediately, Jeff Ireland will assume full control over all aspects and decisions in regard to the Miami Dolphin football team and support staff. This was the intent of the structure put in place in the past. Bill Parcells will remain with the club on a daily consultant basis.’

The timing may seem a bit weird with the Dolphins opening the regular season on Sunday at Buffalo (they’re 3-point favorites), but the team sees the beginning of the season after the final training camp cuts have been made as the slowest part of the year for a general manager.

Ireland took over as general manager in 2008, when the Dolphins made the playoffs at 11-5 a year after going 1-15. Last season, the Dolphins were only 7-9.

Parcells was hired by former Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, who sold the team a year and a half ago to Stephen Ross, a New York real estate developer. Since the sale, Parcells has had the option of leaving the Dolphins at any time and still getting paid all the money from his $16 million contract. Ross reportedly approved of both Parcells stepping back and Ireland taking full control.