Ex-Lakers star rallies behind Cam Newton's viral take on Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy
Cam Newton is still impacting the conversation in the NFL thanks to his podcast despite the quarterback being a free agent. He recently discussed certain players at the position, most notably Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy. Newton labeled them as "game managers," which went viral on social media.
The 2015 MVP has many who agreed with his stance, including former Lakers star point guard Nick Van Exel. Van Exel took to Twitter (X) and quote-tweeted Newton's most recent post with a simple, yet profound message:
Not only did Cam Newton include Purdy and Prescott, he also added Tua Tagovailoa into the mix. The All-Pro doubled down by stating that neither of the quarterbacks make a difference for their respective teams offensively:
"They're not winning because of him. He's managing the game. And if we were to put that in its own right as game managers: Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa. Jared Goff. And really, Dak Prescott. These are game managers. They're not difference makers."
An argument can be made that both Purdy and Prescott are in the race to become the league MVP this season. Purdy is leading the San Francisco 49ers offense with his league-leading 70.6 completion percentage and 116.3 passer rating. The 49ers signal-caller has 3,553 yards and 25 touchdowns as well.
Prescott has the Dallas Cowboys offense on a roll, as he leads the NFL in touchdowns (28) to go with his 3,505 yards. Tagovailoa is having his best season with the Miami Dolphins, as he leads all quarterbacks with 3,697 yards to pair with his 24 touchdowns.
It is important to note all three teams are in the top 5 in points per game. Needless to say, Purdy, Prescott and Tagovailoa have made differences this season under center.
Why is Cam Newton not playing in the NFL this season?
Despite his comments, it is reasonable to ask why Cam Newton is not playing for a team given the injuries at quarterback. There is much speculation as to why no team has signed him.
In October, the former Carolina Panthers star appeared on former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III's "RG3 and The Ones" podcast. He said that he would need to be compensated well financially before signing a deal:
“You not about to sit here and penny pinch me, bro, I’m about to sit up here and sign no $5.5 (million) deal, bro."
Cam Newton spent the first decade of his career with the Carolina Panthers, leading them to the Super Bowl in his 2015 MVP season. Newton was released by the franchise during the 2019 season but found a home with the New England Patriots the following year.
In August 2021, the Patriots released him but he joined Carolina for the 2021 season. He was released by the team eight games into the season. He remains in good shape and any team with quarterback issues should sign him if they want to improve their roster.