Comparing salaries today to salaries 30 years ago is ridiculous. The league today earns a lot more revenue from television and merchandise than it did when Marino was playing. Marino was one of the best paid players in the NFL in the era he played in.
All the major sports pay their players a lot more today than they did 30 years ago.
Jack Nicklaus won more majors and the third most PGA tournaments in PGA history, yet he is ranked in the 300’s in total money earned on the tour during his playing career. This just shows how ridiculous comparing salaries now to the past really is.