Cam Newton bizarrely admits he won’t trade his MVP award for Super Bowl
Cam Newton made it just to one Super Bowl in his career, where his Carolina Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos.
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Cam Newton (Image via AP)
Cam Newton was just about getting into the good books of fans who criticized him for his costly mistake in Super Bowl 50, however, his recent take on ESPN’s First Take may have the fans rethinking their decision.
The panel was having an interesting debate, ‘What’s more impressive? To win a Super Bowl or to win the MVP Award?” Stephen A. Smith directed the question to Cam Newton since he has one of the two awards and narrowly missed out on winning the other.
Cam Newton did not flinch as he said he would rather be an MVP than a Super Bowl winner. While his initial response was startling, he quickly put things into perspective.
No, because you have to ask it through this lens…what’s more important, impact or championships? You look at a guy like Allen Iverson…everybody’s not going to be Michael Jordan, everybody is not going to be Patrick Mahomes, everybody is not going to be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport but I also have championships to back it.
Cam Newton said
Stephen A. Smith: "Cam, if you could give back that league MVP for a Super Bowl championship, would you do it?"
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 30, 2025
Cam Newton: "No." 👀 pic.twitter.com/x9XspwR7kh
Cam Newton makes a valid argument for prioritizing his MVP over the Super Bowl
In every sport, there are great athletes, ones that stole the limelight when they played, ones that instilled fear in the eyes of the opponents when they took the field. However, not all of them were in a situation conducive to winning a championship. To put it simply, Cam Newton believes championships do not define greatness but the MVP Award does.
He brought up the example of NBA legend Allen Iverson who retired without ever winning a ring. However, that does diminish his accomplishments. AI is still revered as one of the smartest and most skilled ball-handlers to have stepped on the court. Cam Newton named a few Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks such as Brad Johnson, Trent Dilford, and Nick Foles. All these quarterbacks had one good season and they won because they were in a great system.
Nick Foles deserves his flowers, he was a key part of Philadelphia’s 2018 championship run. However, after that, he was never the same. The point that Newton is trying to put across is that fans cannot name all the people on a Super Bowl-winning roster because everyone on the team irrespective of their role gets a ring. However, only a handful of players can brag about having won the MVP Award.
What’s more important, would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl? I think that’s the 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, that you held your end of the bargain.
Cam Newton added
He acknowledged that this take would be controversial. Especially since a section of his fanbase in Carolina blames him for not jumping on the ball in the Super Bowl. However, the words he had to say subsequently were commendable. The former NFL quarterback concluded by quoting Bill Belichick’s philosophy of ‘Do Your Job.’
Team success is important in the NFL, however, Newton’s argument has its merits. There are hundreds of players playing one position every year in the NFL. To gain recognition as the best among them all is a unique honor in itself.
Related: Chris Russo launches scathing attack on CBS for poor broadcasting of AFC Championship game
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Sumedh Joshi
(2277 Articles Published)