Cam Newton shockingly says he would prefer to be an MVP over a Super Bowl champion, arguing it proves he did his job for the Carolina Panthers, despite losing Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos.
The Panthers finished the campaign 15-1 with Newton at the helm, subsequently going on to be named NFL MVP for the 2015/16 season but on the night at the Levi’s Stadium in California, it all fell apart.
The now 35-year-old quarterback could only produce 265 yards on the night for a completion rate of 43.9% as Ron Rivera’s Carolina side only managed to get 10 points on the board on February 7, 2016 despite being favorites by 5.5.
Subsequently, Newton wasn’t even named Super Bowl MVP. That honor went to Von Miller, the Broncos linebacker, suggesting he didn’t even do his job on the night despite an impressive regular season.
“No,” Newton told ESPN’s First Take. “That was a very journalistic viewpoint, vantage-point or response, Stephen A. I’ll ask you this question, what’s more important, impact or championships?”
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“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 you say, ‘Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’ I think 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…as an MVP award winner or an All-American, you’ve held your end of the bargain down.
“I know that’s not the popular pick, I’m not trying to be popularized! My take is, I’m 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.”
When is Super Bowl LIX/Super Bowl 59?
Super Bowl LIX/59 will see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of their 2022 clash, which Patrick Mahomes managed to win by a slender 38-35 margin in Arizona.
This year, Super Bowl LIX will be held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9 and will be broadcast live by Fox Sports, Fox Desportes (Spanish), Telemundo (Spanish), Tubi and NFL+.