Looks like the 2025 season is going to be a learning curve for the quarterbacks. We saw the Tennessee Titans‘ rookie Cam Ward calling his offense a–, which was called out by his coach as well. But no one expected team blame shifting to a seasoned campaigner like the Miami Dolphins‘ quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Now he’s in trouble.

During the October 13 episode of Nightcap, the NFL legend Chad Ochocinco Johnson first called out the Phins QB for breaking the trust of his players. But he then predicted more trouble for the franchise. “I think more stuff is going to come out. It’s more stuff is going to unravel as things get worse, you know? I mean, they can only go up from here,” he said. That could happen fast.

If things go worse than what it is now, a lot more locker room things could come out, and it won’t be pretty. This came after Tua revealed in a post-game press conference that some players were showing up late or skipping players-only meetings. He said those small things were part of why the team was struggling. But Johnson didn’t agree with that.

The legend also sounded an alarm that Tua Tagovailoa broke the trust of the franchise. He reminded the QB that players voted him to be their leader, and the franchise has also kept him as their starter despite multiple concussions. “If they didn’t see Tua as a quarterback number one, if they didn’t see Tua as a leader…then they wouldn’t have paid him what they pay him,” Johnson said. He’s right!

In 2024, the Phins signed a 4-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the signal caller. But in 2024, he played only 11 games before the concussion ended his season. Even in this season, too, Tua Tagovailoa has a 1-5 win-loss record with a 5-4 touchdown-interception ratio.

Also, some days ago, an insider reported that the head coach, Mike McDaniel, was on the hot seat as many players didn’t agree with his strategies. Now, the signal caller has also entered the same category. In fact, it could be worse, as even McDaniel defended his players. “Regardless of intent and what was on Tua’s mind, after a loss, as the franchise quarterback, that’s not the forum to displace that,” the coach said. He also added that players were responding positively to his demands.

Not only the legend and coach, but almost everyone in the locker room believes that the QB shouldn’t have blamed his teammates. Dolphins guard Aaron Brewer also criticized the QB. “Things that happen within the team should stay within the team,” he said

Now, the franchise is getting all sorts of attention from ex-NFLers.

Tua Tagovailoa is getting more hate than love

On the October 13 episode of The Set with Terron Armstead, the former Dolphins offensive tackle said the QB should be more careful with what he says publicly. “He’s (Tua Tagovailoa) been sharing a lot, talking more in detail than I’ve ever heard while my time in Miami and his career. I’m against that approach,” Armstead said.

Armstead explained that he learned his communication style under coach Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints. Payton didn’t allow his players to even do a sideline interview. It prevented negative attention to the matters that had to be solved inside the building. Armstead said Tua Tagovailoa should have handled these problems internally like a leader, by talking to the head coach or the front office, instead of airing things publicly.

Former linebacker Channing Crowder also echoed the same sentiment. He said Tagovailoa needed to “stop snitching” on his teammates and focus on improving his own game.

However, not everyone went against the Phins’ signal caller. Tedy Bruschi, former linebacker and ESPN analyst, defended him, saying Tagovailoa was just frustrated. He called it QB’s cry for help. Moreover, he felt like the QB wasn’t getting enough help from his teammates and coach.

Now, the situation has turned messy. Tua and Coach McDaniel need to take everyone into confidence and prevent such things from happening again.