Cam Newton would rather have his MVP than a Super Bowl, and honestly, it tracks

Cam Newton isn’t wrong. You might not like his answer, but you can’t say he’s wrong.

The former NFL MVP said he’d take his Most Valuable Player award over a Super Bowl ring, and the internet, as it always does, lost its mind.

The knee-jerk reaction is to say, “How could he say that?! A championship is the whole point of the game!” but if you actually think about it, Cam Newton’s logic makes sense—even if you don’t agree with it.

Cam Newton would keep his MVP Trophy over a Super Bowl Ring:

Stephen A. Smith: "Cam, if you could give back that league MVP for a Super Bowl championship, would you do it?"

Cam Newton: "No." 👀 pic.twitter.com/x9XspwR7kh

— First Take (@FirstTake) January 30, 2025

Of course, guys like Trent Dilfer and Nick Foles (respectfully, of course) would take the ring.

It made their careers. Nobody looks at those guys and says, “Yeah, I’d take them over Cam Newton in his prime.” That’s just a fact. Same thing with Brad Johnson, Joe Flacco, and any other random ring-winning QB who doesn’t sniff Newton’s individual talent.

Meanwhile, Dan Marino, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Jim Kelly don’t have rings, but they’re still viewed as elite quarterbacks. Would they trade years of greatness for one fluky Super Bowl run? Some would, some wouldn’t.

The best part was watching Devin McCourty’s soul leave his body on live TV

The guy sat across from Newton, after years of watching Tom Brady collect Super Bowls, just begging for this conversation to be over. His face had that “Bro, just stop talking” look.

Newton isn’t trying to convince anyone. He’s comfortable in his answer. He had one shot at both in 2015, and he values the MVP and individual legacy over the ring. Couldn’t care less about how anyone else feels about it.

Nick Foles Caught a Stray for No Reason

I can’t believe our guy Nick Foles caught a stray during this entire interaction. Cam Newton randomly throwing Foles under the best was ridiculous. He mentions Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson—fine, we get it. But then the way he softens the blow before saying Foles’ name?

Unbelievable lol.

The “RESPECTFULLY” was doing a lot of heavy lifting there. You can just feel that Foles winning a Super Bowl still eats at him. It put him in a mental pretzel so badly that he had to acknowledge it, but also couldn’t believe it happened.

Foles will forever be the guy that makes MVP winners uncomfortable and here in Philadelphia, we are perfectly fine with that being the case.

The Age-Old Debate: MVP vs. Championship

This is one of the oldest debates in sports. Would you rather be a dominant player with an MVP or a role player with a ring?

It’s like Allen Iverson vs. Robert Horry. Iverson has the Hall of Fame career, MVP, and legendary status, while Horry has seven rings and a ton of clutch moments—but nobody debates who was the better player.

Cam sees it the same way. He had his MVP year, his prime, and his signature moments, and he’s riding with that over a one-off ring.

Final Take: At Least Cam Newton is Honest, right?

Do I care if Cam Newton would rather have an MVP than a Super Bowl? Not really. In fact, I don’t give a shit about anything that Cam Newton says. It doesn’t impact my life at all but I do respect the honesty. It’s much better than any boring, cookie-cutter bullshit that we get from most athletes anytime they are on ESPN.

Cam Newton is gonna take his MVP, his insane 2015 season, his Superman celebration, and his oversized hats—and nothing is changing his mind. I’m fine with that. I do need him to shu up about the Super Bowl though. In the same appearance, he was taking reckless about Jalen Hurts, the Eagles vs. the AFC, and a whole bunch of stuff. Can’t have it.

Cam Newton says the Eagles can’t hang in the AFC while wearing an absolutely ridiculous hat on ESPN First Take

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