Cam Newton responds to Tua: ‘Let it rip’
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton offered his response to Tua Tagovailoa’s criticism of his critique of his game.
Newton, who started 148 regular-season games in his 11 seasons, insinuated he wants to see the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback play with a more aggressive approach.
“Let it rip,” Newton said on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday. “When you have Jayden Waddle, a Tyreek Hill and Mike McDaniel as your coach, you have all the assets and amenities. You have once shown that you’re capable. I don’t know what this is in Miami now.”
Newton’s referring to the Dolphins’ 0-3 start, which has featured struggles in all three phases of the game for McDaniel’s team.
But he’s specifically referencing the changes to the offense, which at one time set trends in the NFL, back when Miami had the top-ranked offense in the NFL in 2023.
Miami’s offense struggled for most of the 2024 season, finishing 18th in yards per game (325.9) and 22nd in scoring per game (20.3).
From an offensive standpoint, the Dolphins rank 23rd in yards per game (281.7), 26th in rushing yards per game (89.7), first in third-down efficiency (54.3), 28th in first downs per game (15.7, and last in turnover differential (minus-5). Only four offenses have produced more turnovers after three games.
Newton said he wants Tagovailoa to play like the quarterback he was at Alabama, and early in his tenure with McDaniel.
Newton claimed Miami’s culture has had a “Love Island” feel to it, comparing the Dolphins’ drama to the Netflix dating show that’s consistently filled with drama.
On Thursday, Tagovailoa responded to a question asked about critics bringing up his five-year, $235 million contract when discussing his performance, and Newton’s name was brought up specifically based on recent comments he’s made about Tagovailoa on ESPN and his Youtube show “4th&1.”
“Well, anybody can play quarterback in this league then? I want to see anybody on the streets come and play quarterback. Cam [Newton] is doing his thing for sure, but I think it’s easier to be able to hold a clicker and talk about [QB play] that way, or talk about what someone else is doing wrong when you’re not going out and having to do the same as them.
“I think it’s easy to do [analysis]. I think anybody can do that,” Tagovailoa continued. “I don’t think anybody can play quarterback.”
This season Tagovailoa has produced a 87.5 passer rating, which is far from his 97.5 career rating. He’s typically careful with the football, but has thrown four interceptions and fumbled twice in Miami’s first three games.
In order for the Dolphins to turn the season around Tagovailoa, who’s entering his sixth season as Miami’s starting quarterback, admitted he needs to play better in every aspect of his game.
“I’m not playing up to the standard that I’ve played in years past, and knowing the standard that I can play to,” said Tua Tagovailoa, who has led the NFL in pass rating (2022), passing yards (2023) and completion percentage (2024) at times in his career. “It starts with me. Offensively I have to get our [offense] going, and the defense has to feed off that.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM.
