Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel apparently showed his loyalty to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa by helping get his contract extension with the Dolphins done.
On Sunday, Tagovailoa revealed that he heard from several people in the facility that McDaniel “went to bat” for him with owner Stephen Ross to help get Tagovailoa’s extension finalized. The quarterback was very grateful for his head coach when talking about his gesture.
This is pretty cool: #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa says he's heard from "several birdies" in the building that HC Mike McDaniel went to bat for him with owner Stephen Ross to get his contract extension finalized.
"I'm very grateful for that."pic.twitter.com/HInQBlMyD9
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 28, 2024
“Word gets around quick, and I don’t think he knows that I know but I’ve been told from several birdies that are here in the facility that are upstairs as well, that he went to bat for me,” Tagovailoa said. “The day that I went out at practice – 11-on-11, 7-on-7 before we went on that little break – that he went to bat for me with our owner. I won’t go into details of things that I heard were said, but just know he is what he says. He says what he told me, and he did what I was thinking he would do for me. And not just for me, but for any other player. So, I’m very grateful for that.”
McDaniel’s reported decision to go to bat for Tagovailoa shows just how close the relationship is between the head coach and his quarterback.
Tagovailoa has thrived since McDaniel came to the team ahead of the 2022 season, finishing ninth in MVP voting in the 2022 season while leading the NFL in yards per completion and yards per pass attempt.
While multiple head injuries limited Tagovailoa during the 2022 season (he played in just 13 games), the former first-round pick bounced back to appear in all 17 regular season games, and the Dolphins’ playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, in the 2023 season.
He put up the best numbers of his career, throwing for an NFL-best 4,624 yards, career-high 29 touchdowns and completing a career-high 69.3 percent of his passes. Tagovailoa earned his first Pro Bowl nod of his career, and he nearly led the Dolphins to an AFC East division title.
Unfortunately, Miami lost the division in the final game of the regular season when it lost to the Buffalo Bills. Still, it was a positive season since Miami made it back to the playoffs.
The 2022 and 2023 seasons marked the first time the Dolphins earned back-to-back playoff berths since they made five consecutive playoff appearances from 1997 through the 2001 campaign.
McDaniel and Tagovailoa have clearly made the franchise the most competitive that it has been in quite some time, and it’s great to see that they have such a good relationship.
Hopefully, McDaniel’s willingness to go to bat for his players will only help the Dolphins attract more talent as long as he’s the head coach.
