Tua Tagovailoa heard Mike McDaniel pressured Dolphins to finalize his new contract

Find someone who loves you as much as Mike McDaniel loves him some Tua Tagovailoa. In the least shocking news of all time, the Miami Dolphins head coach went to bat for the franchise's starting quarterback in a big way to get him that mega contract extension. Tagovailoa is a fine player, but this is a gross overpay for a guy who hasn't shown he can get through a season with a clean bill of health.

Regardless of how I feel about the contract, Tagovailoa is McDaniel's guy. He was the biggest reason why he took the Dolphins job to begin with. Although he wasn't really up for any other head-coaching positions, McDaniel has proven to be not only an offensive wizard of a head coach, but a great players' coach as well. He might be a total nerd, but he finds ways to relate to everyone on his team.

I think more importantly is that he instills believe in Tagovailoa that he can go out there and be the best quarterback in the league. I may not agree with the idea that Tagovailoa can ever do that, but no, it wouldn't shock me if he and the Dolphins went on quite the run this postseason. If they were to win the AFC East, I wouldn't rule out the notion that they could play for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

Here is Tagovailoa saying at the podium that he knew that McDaniel went to bat for him on a new deal.

Tagovailoa inked a four-year deal worth $212.4 million last Friday, averaging $53.1 million annually.

Mike McDaniel absolutely went to bat for Tua Tagovailoa in extension talk

To be quite frank, this is what you are hoping your boss does for you. In any position of leadership, you need to be an advocate for those who cannot get into the room you are in. It is a position of servitude, not one of great and absolute power. Use it responsibly. It is why coaches, and leaders abound, like McDaniel will have tremendous staying power in their roles. They see the bigger picture.

While I have loved how great the ball looks coming out of Tagovailoa's left arm since his freshman year at Alabama, I have also seen him get rag dolled time and time again, dating back to his final college season in 2019. If not for McDaniel, who knows where he would be in his NFL career? It wasn't like McDaniel's predecessor Brian Flores wanted anything to do with him. Now Flores is a coordinator.

Ultimately, all it takes is for one person to believe in you. McDaniel is Tagovailoa's NFL kingmaker. For as long as he remains in an authoritative position in the NFL, Dolphins head coach or in an offensive coordiantor role somewhere else, Tagovailoa will always have a job in the league. To me, their working relationship is special. They might be overlooked individually, but you cannot ignore them together.

This working relationship is why Miami is in its best spot organizationally since Dan Marino retired.