Mike McDaniel Stands Firmly Behind Tua

In the last 24 hours, rumors have linked two veteran quarterbacks with an NFL MVP trophy on their mantle to the Miami Dolphins.

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Rich Eisen floated on his podcast that he heard rumors at the NFL Scouting Combine that Tom Brady might be willing to come out of retirement in order to play in Miami, and Lamar Jackson's non-exclusive franchise tag fired up speculation that he'd be a good fit for the Dolphins.

Mike McDaniel, Miami's second year head coach, swiftly and firmly pushed back on both of those notions.

The speculation that the Dolphins may be looking for a replacement to Tua Tagovailoa, or at least a backup plan, wasn't unfounded and drummed up out of offseason boredom alone. Tagovailoa suffered a handful of brutal head injuries last season and ultimately missed the end of the regular season and playoffs with a second (though many believe third) concussion.

It was hard to watch, especially for fans who know Tagovailoa as a human being instead of just as a football player.

Nevertheless, McDaniel and the Dolphins appear to be standing firmly behind the Crimson Tide alumnus and ready to move forward with him as the quarterback of the future for South Beach.

If McDaniel and the Dolphins want to put some weight behind their words, they will pick up Tagovailoa's fifth-year option on his rookie contract. As of last week, the team is still undecided on the notion.