Cam Newton Drops Bold MVP Take, Ravens' Lamar Jackson Disagrees

The debate over whether a championship or MVP award is as old as time, and Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson may just be the poster boy for said debate.
Jackson has had an outstanding individual career, winning two MVPs in six seasons as a starter with a third possibly on the way. However, postseason success has continously eluded him, as he's made just won AFC Championship Game appearance and has yet to make a Super Bowl, let alone win one. As a result, it's almost a guarantee that Jackson's name will pop up whenever that old debate rears its head.
Most understandably say that they'd prefer to win a championship over an individual award. However, former MVP quarterback Cam Newton actually went against the common opinion on Thursday's episode of ESPN's "First Take."
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
"You have to ask it through this lens, that was a very journalistic viewpoint or vantage point or response, Stephen A. [Smith]," Newton said. "I ask you this question, and just to pose this thought: what's more important, impact or championships? You look at a guy like Allen Iverson... everybody's not going to be Michael Jordan, everybody's not going to be Patrick Mahomes, everybody's 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 up.'
"Let me remind you, Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys and say 'OK, what's more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?' I think that 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 an All-American, you've held yourself or you've held your end of the bargain down. That's what it really comes down to."
Newton did make it to Super Bowl 50 during his MVP season, but fell flat in a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. In that game, he completed 18 of 41 passes for 265 yards and an interception against a remarkable Broncos defense, and added 45 rushing yards on six carries. He also had a viral lowlight, when he didn't make a play on the ball after fumbling deep in his own territory.
As for Jackson, the answer couldn't be any more different.
"[I] got that accolade, but I still feel like the MVP is a team thing, though, because my teammates [are] helping me get that award, because I always say that I'm not the one catching the passes [or] blocking to help me get these passes off [and] stuff like that," Jackson told reporters on Dec. 23. "That's [the] offensive line, tight ends, receivers [and] running backs. It's everybody, all of us included.
"I'm trying to win the championship. That's my biggest goal. That's been my goal ever since [I was] a little kid, but an MVP in the National Football League – that's dope."
Even if Jackson takes home his third MVP award at next week's NFL Honors, it won't impact his quest for a Super Bowl title whatsoever, no matter what fans or media personalities say.