Well, Cam Newton has never claimed to be like most folks.
On Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, host Stephen A. Smith posed a simple question to the Carolina Panthers legend—asking Newton if he’d be willing to trade his Most Valuable Player award for a Super Bowl title.
And Newton, as he often does, brought a different kind of perspective to the table.
“Nope,” he replied. “What’s more important—impact or championships? You look at a guy like Allen Iverson. Everybody’s not gonna be a Michael Jordan. Everybody’s not gonna be Patrick Mahomes. Everybody’s not gonna be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it.
“Let me remind you—Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys and you say, ‘What’s more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’ I think that’s a humble approach.
“But if we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable to say, ‘Everybody has a responsibility to do.’ And you can say, as an MVP award winner, or All-American, you’ve held yourself or you’ve held the bargain down.”
Stephen A. Smith: “Cam, if you could give back that league MVP for a Super Bowl championship, would you do it?”
Cam Newton: “No” pic.twitter.com/b1wVO2i7Nh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 30, 2025
Newton held up that particular bargain in 2015 by recording 4,473 total yards and 45 total touchdowns en route to a near-unanimous MVP win. His all-time campaign helped lead the Panthers to a franchise-best 15-1 record in the regular season.
But the bargain stopped short in Super Bowl 50, where Newton and the Panthers were stopped by the Denver Broncos in a deflating 24-10 loss. Newton, in his one and only Super Bowl appearance, completed 18 of his 41 throws for 265 yards and an interception while coughing up a pair of fumbles.
