Cam Newton Voices Frustration Over Shedeur Sanders’ “Rage Bait” Selection For The NFL Pro Bowl

The Pro Bowl Games 2026 will take place in Moscone Centre, San Francisco, on February 3, 2026, as a part of the Super Bowl LX festivities.

Cam Newton Voices Frustration Over Shedeur Sanders’ “Rage Bait” Selection For The NFL Pro Bowl

Shedeur Sanders, Cam Newton (Images via Getty Images/SI)

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The National Football League had named Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders as the replacement for Drake Maye for the Pro Bowl, following the latter’s New England Patriots advancing to Super Bowl LX. Sanders started in the last seven games for the Browns and went 3-4, throwing for 1,400 yards with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

Maye, Justin Herbert, and Josh Allen were selected for the Pro Bowl as the quarterbacks from the AFC. Herbert and Allen sustained injuries in the postseason, and Maye made the Super Bowl, forcing the league to name an alternate quarterback.

Among the other quarterbacks in the AFC, Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, and Daniel Jones are also away from the field with respective injuries. The league was left with limited options, sure, but former quarterback Cam Newton isn’t in agreement.

In a recent episode of “4th&1 With Cam Newton,” Newton questioned the decision behind naming Sanders. He argued that the Pro Bowl has become a commercial event that puts entertainment value over actual on-the-field talent.

When you talk about how did Shedeur make it and they ain’t even got Trevor Lawrence? Man, look, bro, it’s a popularity contest at the end of the day. Because it’s still a business. They looked around and said, ‘Hey man, we’ve still got to meet our visual quota. Who’s gonna be the bigger story?’ We knew we were going to get y’all to rage bait.

Newton also contrasted his Pro Bowl experience with the current format. While he understood that player safety took priority, he admitted that he thought the new format had lost its competitive edge. He went on to lament the loss of authenticity.

There was a significant error in Newton’s statement, but it reinforces his broader picture. Trevor Lawrence wasn’t named because he opted not to be part of the Pro Bowl games. Has the event become so meaningless that players are consistently skipping it? There are rumors that Joe Burrow was offered an invite, which he declined.

Jermaine Eluemunor had echoed Cam Newton’s thoughts about the Pro Bowl a few days back

The choice of Shedeur Sanders as a replacement has landed the National Football League in a fresh controversy. There’s never a break for the organization; if it’s not a question about the referees, it’s the Pro Bowl selections.

Jaxson Dart
New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart had a 24 total TD season in 14 starts (Image via Imagn Images)

Jermaine Eluemunor, New York Giants’ offensive tackle, also took a shot at the organization for its decision. He called the Pro Bowl a joke and questioned why Andrew Thomas wasn’t named.

Garett Bolles (Denver Broncos) and Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills) were named the offensive tackle starters. He also pointed out that Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart have been much better than Sanders.

Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart both made their debuts this season. Though the Tennessee Titans won three games, Ward started in 17 games, throwing for 3,149 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In seven games, Sanders threw 10 interceptions.

Meanwhile, Jaxson Dart started 14 games, winning 4 of them. He threw 2,272 yards with a completion rate of 63.7, registering 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He made 487 yards on 86 carries and added nine touchdowns on the ground.

Dart had more touchdowns than Lamar Jackson (who started 13 games) and Jordan Love (who started 15 games. Furthermore, he became only the second quarterback since 1991 to have an opening-drive touchdown in each of their first three career starts. Dart was even named one of the finalists for the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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