Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton yells \"I'm back!\" after scoring a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in a game in 2021. Rob Schumacher / USA TODAY NETWORK

How Cam Newton responded to Tua Tagovailoa's off-target comments

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Carolina Panthers probably aren't good enough to look past any opponent - even after shutting out the Atlanta Falcons 30-0 last weeend. One could forgive fans for looking forward to next week's game more than Sunday's visit to New England, though.

That's when the Panthers will be hosting the Miami Dolphins and their struggling quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who's been in the media this past week for all the wrong reasons. Tagovailoa's 2025 season is off to a rough start, but instead of locking in he's chosen to lash out at his critics, including Panthers legend Cam Newton.

Tua's most-recent comments in particular missed the mark, claiming it's easy for critics to hold a clicker and talk about it rather than play QB in this league. Of course, Newton is no ordinary analyst and once performed at a level far better than Tagovailoa ever has. Here's how he responded in his most-recent appearance on ESPN's First Take.

Cam Newton responds to Tua Tagovailoa

Well, we knew this was coming.

Cam Newton responds to Tua:

pic.twitter.com/jgfhlN8pqd
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) September 26, 2025

One can see why Cam would be frustrated with how Tua has played, given the limitations that he had during his peak run with the Panthers. When Newton won the MVP award his only reliable pass-catcher was tight end Greg Olsen. He also had a solid rusher with Johnathan Stewart, but the rest he had to do himself.

By comparison Tagovailoa has two of the league's 10 best wide receivers to work with and one of the game's best offensive playcallers. The fact is that he should be performing far better than he is with the support he has and given how long he's been in the NFL, now.

While it's still early in the season, it's starting to look like the Dolphins are going to severely regret that massive four-year, $200+ million contract they gave him last offseaon

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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