For Cam Newton, Super Bowl winner Jalen Hurts is not a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. His reasoning is quite specific.

Controversial ranking by Cam Newton. The former Carolina Panthers quarterback compiled a list of what he considers to be the ten best quarterbacks in the NFL on his “4th&1” podcast.

The interesting thing is that Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl winner and MVP of last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, is not included. Newton subsequently explained what prompted him to do so. “It’s hard for me to evaluate Jalen Hurts with all the talent he has around him,” he said.

“Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback. But when we talk about what they deliver as a whole, it’s hard to judge what Jalen Hurts can do when you’re throwing to guys like A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith. We have the skills at tight end. We have a dominant defense and the best running back in the game.”

Former colleague doesn’t understand Newton’s opinion

For former Eagles receiver Torrey Smith, who played with Newton on the Panthers in 2018, there’s no explanation. “Jalen is the only quarterback being punished for having a competent general manager,” said the longtime pass receiver.

“Jalen is doing his job with what he has. Every other GM is trying to put their QB in the same situation as Jalen Hurts. You can win because HE’S your QB!”

Incidentally, Newton’s assessment is not entirely unfounded. Just recently, Hurts was ranked only ninth in the league as a playmaker in a survey of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts conducted by ESPN.