Opinion: Cam Newton is Not the Best Player in the NFL

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is undeniably a great player. However, those calling him the best player in the National Football League today are jumping the gun.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is not the best overall player in the National Football League as of July 9, 2016. There, I said it.

This hot take stems from the The Top 100 Players of 2016 special that recently aired on the NFL Network. As Nick Shook of NFL.com explained, Newton was voted as the league’s No. 1 player by fellow NFL players.

Related Story: Counterpoint: Newton Worthy of Top Rankings

It is easy to understand why that is the case. For the majority of the 2015 NFL regular season, Newton played like an unstoppable force en route to guiding the Panthers to a 15-1 record and winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award. While Newton was held in check by the dominant defense of the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl 50, one game does not take away all that Newton achieved from September through January.

With that said, one phenomenal season does not erase the rest of Newton’s career.

Think back to the summer of 2015. While Newton made strides and improved from the player who pouted on the sidelines when the tough got going during games, he was hardly a perfect product. Newton routinely made poor decisions during intense moments and when the Panthers were facing a one-and-done game. It is not a stretch to suggest that Newton would not have been considered a top-five QB in the eyes of some analysts and some fans 12 months ago.

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Newton’s life changed in December of 2014 following a car accident that, on another day, could have left him paralyzed or even killed. Those of us not inside of the Carolina locker room following that accident may never fully know how that day affected Newton, but it is not an opinion to say that Newton played better than ever before in 2015.

Newton tossed a career-high 35 touchdown passes, and he combined that with a career-low 10 interceptions. The NFL MVP added 10 touchdowns on the ground. In a league dominated by QB play where the rules of the game benefit those who line up under center, Newton was the best offensive player in the NFL.

Why, then, doesn’t Newton deserved to be referred to as the top player in the NFL?

The discussion is all a matter of opinion. Nobody out there could be blamed for saying that he would select Newton to be the quarterback of his favorite team. The Cleveland Browns would probably give up first round picks for the next decade to have Newton for the next five years. You can toss the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers into that same mix.

Still, you cannot help but remember Denver making Newton look rather ordinary on the biggest stage in the game last February.

For what it’s worth, anybody who says that he would take Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt over Newton is either fully on-board the hype train regarding Watt, or he simply fails to appreciate how a top-tier QB such as Newton changes a roster and also a franchise. Newton goes above any other player at any position other than QB Everybody should rate Newton ahead of the likes of Watt, Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown and Richard Sherman.

Here is the question you have to ask when determining the top QB in the NFL: Would you select Newton over every other player at the position?

I wouldn’t. Not yet, at least.

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Age, the great equalizer that is undefeated and untied, will eventually catch up with Tom Brady. That hasn’t yet happened, however, and Brady will once again engage in a revenge tour against the NFL following a four-game suspension given to Brady because of the Deflategate matter that cannot go away soon enough. A healthy Brady will likely light scoreboards up this fall, and his resume beats those belonging to the other QBs in the league.

The statistics tell us that Aaron Rodgers could retire before you finish reading this sentence and already have reservations for a day in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame roughly five years from today. Rodgers remains in his physical prime. Rodgers may, as it pertains to physical skills, QB intellect and career achievements, be the best overall quarterback in NFL history.

All out there who would say they would immediately take Newton over Eli Manning for an elimination game should think twice, and not just because Manning matched Newton’s 35 passing touchdowns last season. Manning is a two-time Super Bowl MVP and maybe the most clutch QB of his generation. Newton is unquestionably the better regular-season player, but his resume lacks a title.

Ranking the best overall players in the NFL should be about more than fantasy football and stats. The NFL is the ultimate “what have you done for me lately?” business in pro sports. Numbers are nice. Championships are better.

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Newton could have silenced all critics and all doubters last February. Not only did Newton not do that. Starting with the very first play when Newton approached the line of scrimmage to take on the Broncos, it seemed as if the moment was too big for the MVP. Newton’s performance against the Broncos did little to erase such perceptions.

That, more than anything else, is why Newton is not yet the best player in the NFL.

Newton has the goods to get there. He may be there seven months from now. Newton is, after all, only 27-years-old. There is still room for improvements.

Let’s all agree to let Newton get there on his own terms and his own time before we rate him among the very best of the best in the NFL.