Both in the NCAA and as a professional, Cam Newton achieved the pinnacle of personal achievement. The quarterback won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn in 2010 and an NFL MVP award with the Carolina Panthers in 2015.
However, that didn’t always translate to the pinnacle of team success. Newton won a National Championship in college, but he doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring.
Friday on ESPN, Newton was asked whether he’d rather be in a spot where he had great personal achievements and lost or be a contributor on a Super Bowl contender.
“When you’re talking about individual play, this is how I take care of my family. Team success don’t take care of my family,” Newton said. “So if I’m thinking about it from a personal standpoint, of course we want the best of both worlds. But if you’re asking me what gives you extensions, what gives you top-tier money, what gives you certain things, there are more players that have rings, championships and things that are struggling rather than quote-unquote busts that have had money and they’re doing right by their money.”
During his one year in New England, Newton struggled to find either team or personal success.
In the 2020 season, he went 7-8 as a starter, throwing eight touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. Newton did rush for 12 touchdowns, but the Patriots finished 27th in both scoring offense and total offense and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
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