Top 20 active NFL players who haven’t won a Super Bowl
By Samuel Teets
20. Cam Newton, QB, New England Patriots
New England’s Cam Newton barely makes an appearance. The 2015 league MVP did carry the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50 and holds the record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. However, Newton is already falling behind several quarterbacks who entered the league after him, like Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes.
With only three Pro Bowl seasons, Newton’s career is in jeopardy of taking the Rich Gannon route. While Newton served as the newest model in a wave of mobile quarterbacks when he entered the NFL in 2011, the Auburn product can’t build his legacy on rushing stats alone.
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Newton’s career 59.6 completion percentage and 86.1 passer rating rank far below the career averages of elite players. Unless he pulls off a great second act to his career, Newton is not in the same discussion as the following 19 players.
19. Harrison Smith, S, Minnesota Vikings
It took the NFL community several years to acknowledge Harrison Smith’s accomplishments in Minnesota. The media overlooked his masterful 2014 season when deciding on All-Pros, and fans didn’t even vote Smith to the Pro Bowl. However, the Notre Dame product caught on in 2015, making the first of five consecutive Pro Bowls.
In his eight seasons to date, Smith amassed 23 interceptions, 56 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, 13 sacks, 658 tackles and four defensive touchdowns. He’s widely acknowledged as the best safety when it comes to disguising his role in the defense.
Smith did begin showing signs of decline during the past two years, but the 31-year-old is far from finished in the NFL. However, he’s playing for a team that got worse defensively this offseason. It’s unlikely the Vikings make a deep playoff run in 2020.