The NFL quarterback made the controversial comments on Barstool Sports' "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast this week ... when he opened up about being raised in a household by his mother, father, and grandmother.

Newton says his experiences at home helped him understand the difference between a "woman" and a "bad bitch" -- explaining he believes the latter is not something women should strive for.

"A woman for me is handling your own, but knowing how to cater to a man's needs," Cam said on the pod. "I think a lot of times, when you get that aesthetic of like, 'I'm a boss bitch, I'm a this, I'm a that,' -- no, baby. But you can't cook."

"You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know how to allow a man to lead."

Cam insisted on the show that he was not trying to "beat up my queens" with his statements ... but he called for "men to start being men, bro."

"That sucka s*** should not be rewarded."

As you could imagine, Cam's comments did not go over well on social media ... with many calling the words sexist and misogynistic.

Of course, it's not the first time he's been called out for remarks about women ... back in 2017, Cam was criticized for laughing at a female reporter's question during a press conference and saying, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes."

Cam later apologized for his words, but not before he lost a major sponsorship with Oikos yogurt.