Super Bowl 59 MVP Jalen Hurts Receives a Surprising Ranking in Cam Newton’s Top NFL Quarterback List: “I Know Everyone’s Going to Get Mad”

Cam Newton has found it hard to rank Jalen Hurts among the top NFL quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson because of the amount of talent the Philadelphia Eagles have.

Super Bowl 59 MVP Jalen Hurts Receives a Surprising Ranking in Cam Newton’s Top NFL Quarterback List: “I Know Everyone’s Going to Get Mad”

Cam Newton and Jalen Hurts (Image via IMAGO)

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Cam Newton finds Jalen Hurts a difficult quarterback to rank. But make no mistake, Newton holds Hurts in high regard. However, not high enough to place the Philadelphia Eagles signal caller in his top 10 quarterback list.

In the recent episode of the 4th & 1 podcast, Newton revealed his best quarterback list. He selected Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow among the top 5 QBs heading into the 2025-26 NFL season.

There were a few surprises. Most notably, the former NFL MVP excluded the reigning Super Bowl champions and the Super Bowl LIX MVP, Jalen Hurts.

I know everybody is going to get mad at this… Cam hatin’ on Jalen Hurts. It’s hard for me to grade Jalen Hurts.

Cam Newton said

In his defense, Newton argued that Hurts has too much talent around him—in the offense and the defense—to have a fair assessment. Hurts routinely throws passes to Pro Bowl wide receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, while Saquon Barkley may arguably be the best running back in football and was voted the best offensive player in 2024.

Newton suggested checking the number of stars EA has given to the Eagles’ offense on Madden. Hurts doesn’t need to play his absolute best to win games in Philly.

In comparison, Lamar Jackson still churns out elite numbers even though the Ravens field Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and Isaiah Likely, aside from boasting the third-best defense (as per PFF) in the league. Josh Allen in Buffalo has to play his best in every game for the Bills to be in the Super Bowl conversation.

Jalen Hurts does not have to play elite football for the Philadelphia Eagles to win. He has to play good but he doesn’t have to play elite. We are not asking you to win the game, we are asking you not to lose it.

Newton quipped

Hurts is a winner. However, he hardly ever steps out of the Barkley’s or Brown’s shadow. After just one year, Barkley has overshadowed Hurts’ achievements in the Eagles jersey.

There’s a fine line between a ‘game changer’ and a ‘game manager.’ Despite winning games, Hurts mostly gets credited for the polarizing Tush Push move. Then again, it’s a team effort.

Even when [the Eagles use the] tush push… You got five people pushing you bro. You got a solid group of players around you, dawg.

Newton concluded

Eagles head coach fires back at unnecessary criticism of Jalen Hurts

Even Pro Football Focus considers Barkley a bigger influence and reason for the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. Their latest top 50 players list reflects this, with Barkley taking the 22nd spot and Hurts finishing as the 50th best player. The Oklahoma graduate made 22 big-time throws and 19 turnover-worthy plays across the regular season and playoffs.

Amidst this, if there’s one man who has stood as a shield for Hurts in the face of criticism, that’s coach Nick Sirianni. He had some specific choices of words to describe the outlets attacking the 26-year-old.

Super Bowl 59 MVP Jalen Hurts Receives a Surprising Ranking in Cam Newton's Top NFL Quarterback List I Know Everyone's Going to Get Mad
Jalen Hurts (Image via IMAGO)

I think that’s bulls***. [Jalen] plays the most important position in all sports, and it’s the most ultimate team game there is. And what I admire about him is his selflessness of doing anything we need to do to win.

Nick Sirianni said via USA Today

Hurts completed 68% of his passes in the regular season. He threw 18 touchdowns to 5 interceptions and 14 rushing touchdowns while covering 630 yards on the ground.

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