Even in a city as populous as New York, it's an unusual scene. More than a dozen pro-football players clad in neon yellow construction vests and hard hats traipsing around one of the biggest construction sites in the world, taking notes as contractors talk about steel and drywall. The players: 16 Miami Dolphins, or nearly a third of the NFL team. The site: Midtown Manhattan's Hudson Yards, the $25 billion development team owner and real estate maven Stephen Ross' Related Companies is building. The goal: teach players more about business and investing so they are better positioned to win off the field, when they retire from football. "I'm really interested in real estate building," said Ryan Tannehill, quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, from the 24th floor of an under-construction high-rise that will eventually house tenants like Neiman Marcus. "We've been talking about investing in companies, growth, and the process of vetting people before the investment process. No other owners are giving their guys the opportunity to do something like this."

The Miami Dolphins meet with CEOs and tour businesses to get a head start on their post-NFL careers as part of a Miami Dolphins Business Combine. Jessica Golden | CNBC

The tour is one part of a week-long business combine that Dolphins owner Ross arranged for players this week, on the heels of a 10-6 winning season that saw the Dolphins in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Planning began in September after a much smaller version involved six players last year. Attendance is optional, dress code business attire. To participate, players paid thousands of dollars out of pocket to partake in a jam-packed itinerary of more than a dozen events spearheaded by entrepreneurs in real estate, tech, hospitality and leisure, and retail. Among the names: Warby Parker Co-CEO Dave Gilboa, Equinox CEO Harvey Spevak, Related President Bruce Beal, LRMR Management's Maverick Carter, and 76ers and Devils owner Michael Rubin. Players have been sitting in on meetings, touring facilities, and being encouraged to ask questions. "It's been beyond worth it having the opportunity to sit down with so many business minds and be a sponge and take that wisdom and implement it into your own life," said Cameron Wake, Defensive End for the Dolphins.

As part of the Miami Dolphins Business Combine, players get a first-hand look at the construction taking place at Hudson Yards. Jessica Golden | CNBC

"As an owner, I have the responsibility to develop them as great football players, to prolong their careers, but also it's a responsibility to makes sure they are developed when their careers are over," Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross told CNBC's Power Lunch. "It's great for the team, it's great for the organization. The National Football League says the combine is a first. The NFL's player engagement department runs business boot camps with Stanford, Northwestern, Penn State and Harvard – but this format in which a team hosts a stand-alone summit is, at least for now, unique to the Dolphins. "I know from my business career, the better you treat people, the better the organization you have and you attract the best. That's all part of it and everyone wins in a situation like that," said Ross.

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