Cam Newton fires back at Tua Tagovailoa to escalate beef: 'More Love Island drama than football'

Cam Newton escalated his feud with Tua Tagovailoa on Friday, saying the Dolphins quarterback's 0-3 start this season has turned into 'Love Island drama' rather than football. Newton spoke on ESPN's First Take, arguing that the four-year, $212 million extension Tagovailoa signed last summer puts extra pressure on him to perform. 'Anybody can go 0-3,' Newton said. 'When I see the situation that’s taken place in Miami, it’s more 'Love Island' drama than football,' he added. 'And in large part, I wouldn’t say it’s all on Tua, but it is a main ingredient, and I just know what he’s capable of.' There [were] times we’ve seen Tua Tagovailoa, and it was at a high level. You don’t make $53 million… by just being a random on the street.'

Let it rip. Newton also urged the sixth-year quarterback to unleash his full potential, noting the assets around him: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and coach Mike McDaniel. 'Let it rip,' Newton said. 'When you have Jaylen Waddle, 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.'

[IMAGE2]

Tagovailoa pushed back on Thursday, telling reporters that critics should reconsider their assessments. 'Well, anybody can play quarterback in this league then. I want to see anybody on the streets come and play quarterback,' Tagovailoa said. He added that it's easier to critique from the sideline than to perform on the field, saying, 'Cam is doing his thing for sure, but I think it’s easier to be able to hold a clicker and talk about it 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 don’t think anybody can play quarterback.'

Through three games this season, Tagovailoa has thrown four interceptions with a 35.7 quarterback rating, a start that has drawn renewed scrutiny as Miami searches for momentum after a promising 2024 campaign.

Newton’s broader critique has centered on the quarterback’s contract. He noted Tagovailoa is making more than several star peers, arguing that the pay grade should come with higher performance expectations. 'Tagovailoa is making more than Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Jayden Daniels,' Newton said on an earlier episode of First Take. 'Am I pocket watching? No, I’m putting things into perspective here. What you’re being paid, what you’re asked to do, what you have the capability of — from one quarterback to the other, I look at the situation like come on dawg. Especially when you’ve got a Ferrari and a Lamborghini and other amenities that other quarterbacks wish they had.'

The clash underscores a broader conversation about expectations that accompany large contracts and how much of a quarterback’s on-field impact is drawn from surrounding personnel. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have argued that a complete evaluation requires time and consistency, while Newton has used the moment to challenge whether the public narrative matches the level at which Tagovailoa has operated previously.

[IMAGE3]