Is Cam Newton a Hall of Famer? Why isn’t he hearing from QB-needy NFL teams? He weighs in
Cam Newton, the best quarterback in Carolina Panthers history who ushered in an era of swagger and success that has yet to be replicated, was asked if he was a Hall of Famer on a podcast earlier this week.
He sheepishly smiled and offered a response longtime Panthers fans could’ve seen coming a mile away.
“Hell yeah,” Newton said.
Newton was asked this and a bunch of other topics on Tuesday by journalist Dan Patrick, host of the Dan Patrick Show. Newton himself made his foray into podcasting last year and has a YouTube channel that regularly makes headlines, as the charismatic captain lets the audience into his life and his career. Among those recent viral moments: when Jimmy Clausen told Newton that he’d let Newton wear No. 2 for $750,000.
The quarterback is top of mind this week for Panthers fans, as the Panthers return to Nissan Stadium in Nashville to play the Tennessee Titans for the first time since 2015. That day (as far as the short story is concerned) Newton scored a touchdown, hit a trademarked celebration touchdown dance and caused a stir in the end zone and among Titans fans — making for a moment that perfectly captured his polarizing legacy.
He discussed that legacy a bit and more in his sub-20-minute appearance on the Dan Patrick Show — which included a commentary on his impact as a player, if he’d make his NFL return and the “intriguing” state of sports media.
Here are the two big things he discussed.
Will he make his NFL return?
Newton was asked if any NFL teams had reached out to him after the deluge of injuries at the QB positions across the league, including Deshaun Watson being out for the year in Cleveland. The 34-year-old said it had been two years since a team inquired about him.
Here’s part of the revealing exchange:
Patrick: “Like with the Browns, having Watson going down. Or the Jets. Did you reach out to them? Did your agent?”
Newton: “No.”
Patrick: “No interest?”
Newton: “A lot of interest, but no.”
Patrick: “You want them to call you, not the other way around?”
Newton: “I know it doesn’t matter how many times you call if they don’t want you. (Laughs.) At the end of the day, I’ve known the NFL to do and be very intentional in what they do. There’s no manipulation, no swaying. It doesn’t matter if I call them if they don’t want me.”
Newton was then asked if he was told why he hasn’t been called by a team. He flashed a smile: “Mr. Daniel, your guess is as (good) as mine.”
Is Cam Newton a new Allen Iverson?
Part of the conversation was a discussion that Newton, because of past prowess and effervescence, could be a difficult person to bring into a team and not be the guy. Newton has said as much on other platforms.
That turned into a question about Newton’s Hall of Fame prospects — to which he responded “Hell yeah” — and prompted an answer that addressed which is more important to a Hall of Famer’s potential status: impact or championships?
Or in other words: Robert Horry (seven championships) or Allen Iverson (no championships)?
“So you’re sitting up here telling me that in a lot of ways, shapes and forms, I am Allen Iverson,” Newton said. “I only played in one Super Bowl.”
He added: “What do we teach student-athletes? Yes, you want to be a team player. But also you must understand sports has so many determining factors in it. ... Let’s take certain field goals going either way, certain rules being in place — does Tom Brady still have as many championships or Super Bowls as he has? (Adam Vinatieri, the longtime New England field goal kicker, hit several clutch field goals in his day — one of which ended Carolina’s 2004 Super Bowl hopes.)
“So if you’re asking me the original question: Is Cam Newton a Hall of Famer? My impact to this game is, without a doubt, seen.”
