Former Fantasy Star QB Cam Newton Makes Shocking Claim
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton made headlines on Thursday while appearing on ESPN’s First Take. Newton, while appearing with Stephen A. Smith boldly stated that he would not be willing to trade his 2015 Most Valuable Player Award for a Super Bowl ring.
Smith asked Newton “if you could give back that league MVP for a Super Bowl Championship, would you do it?” The former signal-caller, who played 11 seasons for Carolina and New England, quickly responded: “No.”
Stephen A. Smith: "Cam, if you could give back that league MVP for a Super Bowl championship, would you do it?"
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 30, 2025
Cam Newton: "No" pic.twitter.com/b1wVO2i7Nh
Newton then posed the question, “What’s more important impact or championships…I am not trying to be popularized, my take is I am taking individual success because I did my job. Football is not about one guy trying to do 11 jobs, it's 11 guys doing one job.”
Cam Newton's Fantasy Football Career
Newton had a dominant fantasy football career, particularly during his early years in the NFL. As the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton made an immediate impact, finishing his rookie season as a top-five fantasy quarterback. He actually finished among the top four at the position each of his first three seasons in the NFL.
His best production came during his 2015 MVP campaign when Newton finished as the best fantasy QB after throwing for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns, while adding 636 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on the ground. His ability to generate points both through the air and on the ground made him one of the most dynamic fantasy options of the 2010s. His 2015 MVP season was the pinnacle of his fantasy success, which shocased him as an elite dual-threat option. This perhaps helped pave the way for players like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, etc.
Newton’s rushing ability provided fantasy managers with a consistent floor, as he frequently posted high touchdown totals on the ground, especially in the red zone. However, injuries and declining passing efficiency hindered his fantasy value in later years. His return to Carolina in 2021 provided some brief flashes of his old fantasy production, but he was no longer a reliable weekly starter.
Despite his career decline, Newton remains one of the most impactful fantasy quarterbacks of his era. His unique combination of size, speed, and goal-line rushing made him a staple in fantasy lineups for much of the past decade.
Despite leading the Panthers to a 15–1 record in 2015, his quest for championship hardware came up short in Super Bowl 50, losing to the Broncos, 24-10.
The former Auburn standout currently holds the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (75) by a quarterback. However, Newton will likely lose that distinction as both Josh Allen (65) and Jalen Hurts (55) are both projected to battle for that record over the next decade-plus of NFL action.
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-93d081519425a2ac5afbaba6a5df6de3.jpg "Matt Brandon")
Matt Brandon has worked in the Fantasy Sports / Sports Media industry for over a decade including stints at Scout Media, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, DrRoto.com, Fantasy SP, FullTime Fantasy, and more. Brandon produced Top-10 rankings in FantasyPros’ nationwide contest three years in a row. He has taken down a few big DFS tournaments on FanDuel and DraftKings but his bread and butter is season-long fantasy football, fantasy basketball, and sports betting. Brandon bleeds blue for his New York sports teams: the New York Giants, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and New York Mets.
Frank Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Besides contributing NFL fantasy analysis with a Vegas slant, Frank Taddeo primarily performs as On SI’s Senior Fantasy Analyst, providing his significant experience and resources in the sports world.