A viral X clip of Cam Newton has caused a stir this week, bringing back his toughest memories in New England. Posted by MLFootball on November 16, 2025, the clip shows the former MVP opening up about the brutal sleep routine he endured during his stint with the Patriots. This routine pushed him into “near-sleepless nights” as he battled through one of the most challenging chapters of his career.
The post reads, “WILD: Former #NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton would sleep LESS THAN 5 HOURS a night during his career.
Newton would go to sleep at 11:30 PM & wake up around 4-4:30 AM. Cam said his lack of success with the #Patriots led to “near-sleepless nights” despite “sacrificing so much.”
WILD: Former #NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton would sleep LESS THAN 5 HOURS a night during his career.
Newton would go to sleep at 11:30 PM & wake up around 4-4:30 AM.
Cam said his lack of success with the #Patriots led to “near-sleepless nights” despite “sacrificing so much.” pic.twitter.com/yxavtLOQSr
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) November 16, 2025
Cam Newton Opens Up on Patriots Pressure While Praising Drake Maye’s Rise
Feb 7, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cam Newton on Radio Row at the Super Bowl LIX media center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 7, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cam Newton on Radio Row at the Super Bowl LIX media center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Newton’s reflection didn’t stop at the sleep grind. The clip sparked a broader discussion about his 2020 season, a year that still stands out for its chaotic and unforgiving nature. And Newton didn’t run from that reality.According to Sportrush, Cam admitted that one of the core issues that haunted him in New England was turnovers.
He recalled how Josh McDaniels drilled one message into every quarterback who walked into the building — protect the football. Newton didn’t sugarcoat his failure on that front. He even said it directly:
“They value football… I definitely didn’t do that while I was there.”
Those turnovers, paired with an offense struck by opt-outs and instability, created a pressure cooker. That pressure fed directly into the sleepless cycle he’s now revealing publicly. The more he struggled, the less he slept. The less he slept, the more he pressed. It became a loop that defined the entire season.
But Newton didn’t dwell on regrets. Instead, he used them to praise what the Patriots have become in the Drake Maye era, a team that flipped its direction fast.
He highlighted Maye’s maturity, explosiveness, and command of the offense. With New England sitting at 9–2 after their Thursday night win, Newton emphasized how clear the contrast is between his experience and Maye’s breakout. He even sent the young quarterback amessage:
“Drake Maye, you’re playing some good ball, man. Keep it up.”
The Patriots’ resurgence also adds weight to Newton’s comments. Seeing the team thriving now, with a stable system and a quarterback who’s been fully invested in, makes his own short-lived 2020 run feel even harsher in hindsight.
Newton’s honesty about the sleep deprivation, struggles, turnover issues, and pressure finally puts full context behind a season that Patriots fans rarely discuss. And it explains exactly why those“near-sleepless nights” hit him so hard.