Tua Tagovailoa deserved his extension based on how the Dolphins treated him

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been running most of his NFL career, not from defenders, but from his detractors. Some of the negativity has been justified, but much of it has not. From mainstream media and local beat writers to a fanbase hell-bent on criticizing everything he has done, the Dolphins finally got an extension done.

For the first time in his career, the QB can sit back and not have the onus of his contract or future in question. It is done, finally. There have been some reports that Mike McDaniel spoke with Stephen Ross about the contract situation, and that may have played a part in getting the deal finalized. Whether that ends up being true or not isn't important. What is important, however, is the fortitude, attitude, and drive that Miami's "franchise" quarterback has within himself.

For Tagovailoa, it all started before taking a single snap in the NFL. It started the day he broke his hip at Alabama. The former first-round pick was, at one point, considered one of the top NFL prospects entering the 2020 NFL Draft. Many believed that had he not been injured at 'Bama, he may have been the first QB taken in the draft, No. 1 overall.

Instead, that went to Joe Burrow and Tua dropped to No. 5. The road to recovery wasn't easy for him, but he had no idea that a hurricane was headed his way and the injury was the least of his problems. Looking back at recent years, Tagovailoa was deserving for his $212.4 million extension for multiple reasons, which we break down in this piece:

Tua Tagovailoa was drafted to sit on the bench

Most NFL teams don't select quarterbacks early in the draft only to sit them on the bench, but the Dolphins did exactly that with Tagovailoa. Miami entered the 2020 season with Ryan Fitzpatrick running the offense.

Tagovailoa sat out the first five games of the season and made his debut against the Jets in Week 6 completing both of his passes for a total of nine yards. The following week against the Rams, Tua got his first start and was sacked immediately. The Dolphins QB would go 12-o- 22 for 93 yards. Miami won 28-17. A week later, he threw for 248 yards, two touchdowns, and completed 20-of-28 attempts in a win over the Cardinals.

Miami would win the first three games with Tua at the helm, but against Denver, Brian Flores pulled him out of the game late and replaced him with Fitzpatrick. The veteran would throw a game-clinching interception for the Broncos. Tagovailoa would go 7-3 as a starter, but spent the season looking over his shoulder at Fitzpatrick.