Tua Tagovailoa has given Dolphins answers they needed and earned new contract | Schad

MIAMI GARDENS — Mike McDaniel was giving a very long, very thorough answer this week about Tua Tagovailoa's commitment, toughness and leadership.

Before he was done, McDaniel paused.

"He’s my guy, man," McDaniel said.

Those four words say it all.

Tua is McDaniel's guy. And he's the right long-term quarterback for the Dolphins.

Tua has done enough to earn his new contract, which is something he said before this season he wanted to do.

After this season, the Dolphins should pay Tua.

He is the face of the franchise. He is a franchise quarterback capable of leading Miami to a Super Bowl championship.

And when you find that quarterback, you have no choice but to pay him.

Four or five years, $50 to $55 million a year? Yes.

It will be best for both sides.

This is a climate in which Daniel Jones — Daniel Jones — secured a four-year deal at $40 million a season.

Tua is twice the commodity and talent Jones is.

And yes, this will be a better Dolphins "bet" than when they signed Ryan Tannehill to a four-year extension in 2015.

On Wednesday, Tua was named a Pro Bowler. Not only is he a Pro Bowler but he is the AFC's starter. And he's Miami's first Pro Bowl quarterback since 1995.

That was Dan Marino, of course, who indicated on "The Fish Tank" podcast recently that Tua is 1) competitive, 2) instinctual, 3) on time and 4) intelligent.

Does Tua have Marino's powerful arm? No.

But guess what. It's strong enough to get the job done.

Tua has worked and worked and improved in many areas, including, yes, the deep ball. The first coaching staff Tua worked with broke him down mentally and emotionally.

They whispered Tua didn't want to hang around the building as long as they'd like.

Well, Tua does now.

And maybe it's because he truly enjoys spending time with these co-workers.

Tua Tagovailoa's taken steps to stay on the field

We all know Miami picked up Tua's fifth year option for 2024 but didn't extend him because of concerns about his health.

Every quarterback gets hurt at some point. Tua entered the NFL off of a significant hip injury and has sustained at least two concussions while in the league.

While such quarterbacks as Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and Joe Burrow went down for this season, Tua will play his 17th game on Sunday.

All 17. Well played, Tua.

And he deserves credit, of course, for altering how careful he is on the field and for how he has learned to fall more safely (yes, you know how) on the field.

Tua is accurate. Highly accurate.

He's efficient. Highly efficient.

He can place the ball exactly where he wants to, in almost all instances, and nothing is more important for an NFL quarterback.

Would it be more ideal if he were a dangerous scrambler?

Well, yes, but Drew Brees and Tom Brady were pretty good without Lamar Jackson's athleticism.

Would it be more ideal if he had a rocket arm? Well, yes.

But McDaniel has found a way to capitalize on Tua's strengths and skill sets, of which there are many. He fits McDaniel's offense well.

Tus is 25-11 in his last 36 starts as a Dolphin.

Would it be more ideal if he already had truly massive, monumental and memorable wins on the resume? Yes.

But I believe they will come. And Miami will be paying for what they think he can do, not what he has done already.

Four years at around $55 million a season or five years at around $50 million a season feels about right.

That should appease player and club and allow the Dolphins to maintain a complementive roster around him.

Tua Tagovailoa has shown enough to earn contract

It would be most helpful if Tua plays lights out against Buffalo on Sunday night and in one, two or more playoff games this month.

But this decision should be based on a sample size greater than those results.

It turns out Tua does not need to "lift the franchise" and "single-handedly lead Miami to unexpected wins."

He is more accurately described as an ultimate point guard.

Neither he nor McDaniel nor general manager Chris Grier should have to apologize for the presence of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson.

He makes them better. They make him better.

And no, there are not 12 quarterbacks in the league who would also be leading the NFL in passing yards and completion percentage and top four in passer rating in this Dolphins offense.

Do not shortchange how uniquely skilled Tua is.

Tua did it Tagovailoa is going to start his 17th Dolphins game.

Tua has improved as a team leader. As a younger player, he had a harder time holding "elders" accountable. Now, he does, in his own way.

Dolphins best served to extend Tua Tagovailoa

Look, Tua is extremely popular in Miami and across the United States.

But that's not why Miami should extend him after this season.

Yes, there are salary cap benefits to extending Tua sooner rather than later, relative to how the monies are spread out.

Tua is humble. Tua is talented. Tua is good enough to lead Miami to its first Super Bowl championship since the glory of 1972-73.

It's time to acknowledge he's proven it's time for a new deal.

And I do believe that after this season, it will get done.

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on social media platforms @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa should command $50 million or more on his next contract. Do it.