Cam Newton made waves earlier this summer when speaking on reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts. The former Carolina Panthers star doesn’t believe the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is a top ten player at his position in the league.
“It’s hard for me to grade Jalen Hurts with the talent that he has around him,” Newton said via his 4th & 1 show, leaving Hurts outside his top ten. “Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback. But if we’re talking about what they bring to the table holistically, it’s hard to judge what Jalen Hurts can do when you’re throwing to a guy like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith. We have tight end skill sets. You have a dominant defense, the best running back in the game.”
Of course, it’s tough to delegitimize what Hurts has accomplished in the NFL, especially when it comes to last season’s run. After some pushback, Newton further explained his comments during an appearance on Glory Daze with Johnny Manziel.
“Jalen Hurts, as an individual, is probably one of the most stand-up guys that this league has ever seen,” Newton stated. “The way he handles himself. The way he’s handled the expectations. The ways that he’s been able to move and maneuver. It’s something that needs to be studied. I hate that I’m stuck in a situation where I’m putting him in a situation that, No. 1, he cannot defend himself. When you’re playing, there’s a level of like, what are you gonna feed (into)? I don’t want to get too personal with me and Jalen, because I have no quarrels. I have no bitterness. I have no hatred, no animosity towards Jalen.
“People want that to happen. I fell victim to that already in a way, where it’s like, I don’t want to compare. I don’t want to say, you know, what I would’ve done with his roster. That’s lazy media for me. I think, rather than saying that, ask this question. When you talk about those top five teams, or those top ten players, let’s do a QB shuffle. Shuffle the quarterbacks amongst those teams that they have, and do you have the same or better results?
“Put Jalen Hurts on the Bengals. Put Joe Burrow on the Eagles. Is there anything that would change there? Put Lamar Jackson on the Buffalo Bills. Put Josh Allen on the Baltimore Ravens. Those are the comparable stats where it’s like, let’s take me out of it. I can stand toe to toe with anybody, but it’s like, when we’re playing this media game, this analytical game, this controversy or this debate game, what does that look like, and does anything change, right?
“Does Matthew Stafford get enough credit for having a Cooper Kupp and a Puka Nacua, who are top-tier receivers in their own right, but all right, could you put Lamar Jackson on the LA Rams, and do they have the same success, or are they better? Those are the debates that I would like to (have), to challenge these media pundits and even fans to have that.”
It’s an interesting point raised by Newton. At the end of the day, Hurts has gotten the job done with the Eagles, and that’s all anyone can base it off. If he falters in 2025, though, we might see more people take Newton’s side in this argument.
Regardless, Philadelphia figures to be a major contender once again this season, in large part due to Jalen Hurts’ play. We’ll see if he can recreate the magic the Eagles enjoyed this past season, or if Cam Newton watches as the franchise falls back down to Earth this time around.
