Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy and the BCS national championship as Auburn’s quarterback in the 2010 season. In the NFL in 2015, Newton won the league’s Most Valuable Award, but he and the Carolina Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.

With the Kansas City Chiefs back in this season’s Super Bowl for the third year in a row with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson awaiting what could be his third NFL MVP Award without ever reaching the NFL’s championship game, Newton was asked if he would trade his MVP Award for a Super Bowl ring during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday.

The question was asked by the program’s Stephen A. Smith, who prefaced it with his opinion that the MVP Award “pales in comparison to a championship.”

Newton seemed to surprise his fellow panelists by answering that he would not.

“What’s more important? Impact or championships?” Newton said. “… Everybody’s not going to be Michael Jordan. Everybody’s not going to be Patrick Mahomes. Everybody’s not going to be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it.’

“Let me remind you: Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl; Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys and you say, ‘What’s more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’ I think that’s the humble approach.

“But if we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable to say everybody has a responsibility to do, and you can say as an MVP Award winner or an All-American, you’ve held yourself or you’ve held your end of the bargain down. And that’s what it really comes down to for me. I know that’s not the popular pick. I’m not trying to be popularized. My take is: I’m taking individual success because I did my job. Football is not about one guy trying to do 11 jobs; it’s 11 guys doing one job. And if everybody does their job best, in the famous words of our coach (Bill) Belichick: ‘Just do your job.’”

After joining the Panthers as the first selection in the NFL Draft in 2011, Newton played a groundbreaking role for dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. Newton became the first rookie to pass for 4,000 yards, and he also set an NFL single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 14 in 2011. Newton holds the NFL career record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

As the debate continued, Newton used the NBA career of former Andalusia High School and Alabama standout Robert Horry in his argument. Horry played for seven league champions.

“Is Robert Horry better than LeBron James?” Newton asked.

Newton also shared perspective on the accomplishment of Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts to reach the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons after leading the Eagles to the 2024 NFC crown. The former Alabama standout is the eighth QB to reach two Super Bowls within his first three seasons.

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“All of the game-changers are in the AFC,” Newton said. “If you put the Philadelphia Eagles or Jalen Hurts in the AFC, would he have been able to have gotten to the Super Bowl as many times? …

“When you see Josh Allen versus Lamar Jackson, that’s must-see TV, yes? When you see Patrick Mahomes versus Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or even Joe Burrow, that’s must-see TV, right? What’s must-see TV in the NFC?”

Philadelphia has a 14-3 regular-season record against AFC opponents with Hurts as its starting quarterback, and Hurts has been the winner in his most recent outing against each of the four AFC quarterbacks mentioned by Newton:

• Hurts and the Eagles defeated the Chiefs and Mahomes 21-17 on Nov. 20, 2023.
• Hurts and the Eagles defeated the Buffalo Bills and Allen 37-34 in overtime on Nov. 26, 2023.
• Hurts and the Eagles defeated the Cincinnati Bengals and Burrow 37-17 on Oct. 27.
• Hurts and the Eagles defeated the Ravens and Jackson 24-19 on Dec. 1.

Hurts and the Eagles will play Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at 5:30 p.m. CST Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.