Cam Newton filmed a video declaring which NFL QBs he’d back up. It’s woefully misguided

The Carolina Panthers have never had a quarterback as spectacular as Cam Newton was in his prime, and it’s quite possible they never will.

They never had a player more charismatic, nor one who more willingly put the city of Charlotte and his own team on his back. It was impossible not to be a fan of Cam Newton, not only in 2015, his MVP year, but every time he handed a football to a kid in the stands or headlined another local charity event or did his Superman thing in the end zone.

So it gives me no pleasure to report that Newton, in his latest attempt to get an NFL job, has filmed a woefully misguided 17-minute video in which he makes a list of the quarterbacks he’d be “willing” to back up in the league.

“There’s a narrative out there that says Cam does not want to be a backup,” Newton said at one point in the video. “I never said I didn’t want to be a backup. So I’m going to take this time to explain who and what situation I will want to be a backup, to and for.”

On Newton’s list were a dozen quarterbacks he said he wouldn’t mind backing up. They were Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Malik Willis, Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Sam Howell and three of the four players the Panthers are considering for the No. 1 overall pick (C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson).

Inexplicably not on Newton’s list: Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and a number of other high-profile quarterbacks.

“I’ll just put it like this,” Newton said about the omissions. “If I didn’t say that person’s name in that list, either you already are solidified as a starter and it just doesn’t do me no justice (Newton did put Patrick Mahomes in this ‘solidified’ category, but mentioned no one else for it). Or it’s like, ‘Bro, let’s battle it out. Let’s compete.’... It’s not like I missed anybody because this is a list I literally took time and created…. It’s like, if you have a question of other players, it’s like, ‘Bro, I don’t think that they’re better than me.’”

From that statement, it sounded very much like Newton thinks he’s better than Burrow, Lawrence, Prescott and Herbert.

And it’s OK to think that — privately.

But this is not how the world works when you are a person without a job, trying desperately to get someone to hire you in your chosen field. In that situation, you are not in a position of power. It’s fine to film a video.

But in the video, all you have to say is: “I’m willing to back up anybody, anywhere.”

To do that, you don’t need 17 minutes. You need 17 seconds.

Although Newton’s blend of arrogance and confidence was part of what allowed him to win consistently in the league in his mid-20s, he needs to tamp down his ego if he wants to work again in the NFL. This video made it sound like Newton still has delusions of grandeur, and that isn’t a characteristic that an NFL team wants its backup QB to have.

Is there a Cam Newton conspiracy?

Newton’s grandiose dreams were completely justified in the mid-2010s. They aren’t any longer.

Let’s remember: Newton was completely out of the NFL last year. That was because not a single one of the league’s 32 teams thought he could help their team win — or at least didn’t think bringing him in as a backup or a starter would work for whatever reason.

I don’t believe there is any secret NFL conspiracy against Newton. I believe the reasons are simpler for why he isn’t employed. He turns 34 next month, he took a gazillion hits while pounding his way to all those rushing touchdowns and his physical skills have diminished.

Most damning stat of all: Newton was 0-13 over his final 13 starts with the Carolina Panthers.

Also in the video, Newton mentions two examples of great backup QBs from his time at Carolina: Derek Anderson and Joe Webb. And they were.

Those two men let Newton be the face of the franchise and do all of his alpha male, camera-ready stuff. They were willingly subservient both on and off the field, trying to serve the team and Newton as best they could. But they also made sure Newton was in the film room on Tuesdays — technically the players’ off day each week. They didn’t let him slack off. They held him accountable. They took a backseat while also leading, which is a delicate balance for anyone.

Newton’s time with Panthers is over

Could Newton do that? Could he really mentor, say, Stroud or Young and take a backseat even when one of those rookies had a three-interception Sunday and he believed in his heart he should have been playing because he would have been better?

We’ll never find out in Charlotte, because Carolina isn’t about to hire Newton again.

Two times turned out to be enough, as Cam 1.0 was a massive success for most of its nine-year run from 2011-19. Then Cam 2.0 was a one-Sunday “I’m baaaaaack” fireworks show in 2021 followed by a cold downpour (five consecutive losses as a starter in what was admittedly a difficult situation).

Carolina already has hired its backup quarterback for 2023, and it’s Andy Dalton. In fact, most any NFL team worth its salt already has its backup QB in place.

Newton, once again, is likely going to be stuck waiting for someone to get hurt and then hoping he gets a call in the summer or fall.

Newton participated in Auburn’s Pro Day on March 21, but as he said in the video, that performance didn’t suddenly open up the job market for him.

As Newton put it: “Hey I’m still out here… And my phone ain’t ringing yet, you know what I’m saying?”

I’d like Newton to get another shot somewhere as a backup. The NFL is a richer and more intriguing place with No. 1 inside the ropes. He does have real knowledge to impart.

But that video?

That wasn’t the way to win a job. If Newton ever does get hired in the NFL again, it will not be because of the video, but in spite of it.