Cam Newton doubles down on his Jalen Hurts criticism, takes shots at Gillie and more: ‘Can you quote any of his music?’
First it was Hurts vs. SB Nation. Then it was ESPN. Now, Newton is coming for the Eagles quarterback — and his defenders.
Former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is determined to prove that Jalen Hurts is not top 10 at his own position.
“It’s hard for me to grade Jalen Hurts with the talent that he has around him,” Newton said in the viral social media clip from last week’s episode of his 4th and 1 podcast. “ … Jalen Hurts does not have to play elite for the Philadelphia Eagles to win. He has to play good, but he doesn’t have to play elite. We’re not asking you to win the game, we’re just asking you not to lose it.
“When you ask that question — are we winning because of you, solely because of you, or is it the resources around you? So, game changer or game manager? Those are the things you have to ask yourself, and those are the metrics that I’m going off of.”
Newton’s comments on Hurts circulated to a much larger audience than just his podcast listener. Many former players, television analysts, and celebrities expressed sharp disapproval of the claim. On his latest episode Wednesday, Newton responded to almost every single one and wasn’t afraid to insult anyone who challenged his opinion.
The first to face Newton’s wrath was Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. While donning a M&Ms racing jacket and intermittently smoking a cigar, the 4th & 1 host quipped, “At the end of the day, we all know that you don’t have the best relationships with your quarterbacks,” in an attempt to disqualify Owens from having an opinion on Hurts at all.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts can’t be labeled as a quarterback. It’s what makes him and the Eagles great together.
Next up was unofficial Eagles ambassador and rapper Gillie Da Kid. Throughout the team’s Super Bowl run, Gillie made videos of himself dancing to rapper Too Short’s 2006 hit single, Blow the Whistle, which became the team’s playoff anthem.
“Can you name me one Gille Da Kid album? Can you quote any of his music?” Newton asked his director Omari Collins, who chuckled at the former quarterback’s remarks.
The Philliy-based rapper, who recently received a Super Bowl ring from the team, didn’t appreciate Newton’s jokes.
“Cam Newton, I seen you came at me because I said Jalen Hurts did what you couldn’t do, that was win a Super Bowl. So you want to get all in your feelings. Man, shut your tight jean wearing [expletive] up,” Gillie said, before descending into a rant that is most certainly not fit for print.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts says he’s focused on the new and not his Eagles Super Bowl ring: ‘The past is behind us’
Newton, after launching more personal insults, doubled down on his argument that Hurts is not a top 10 quarterback, stating that he “only threw for 2,900 yards” last season.
Hurts’s offensive volume has been a hot topic when it comes to where he should be ranked, with much of debate about the Eagles quarterback’s standing being summed up by a key hypothetical: If Hurts was surrounded by a league-average offense, what would his numbers look like?
In ESPN’s top 10 quarterback rankings just a week and a half ago, Hurts barely made the cut, ranking at No. 9.
“Hurts has many traits that contribute to winning at a high level but needs a steady running game around him and wouldn’t necessarily thrive in a pass-heavy system,” Jeremy Fowler concluded.
Fowler and Newton seemingly arrived at a similar verdict, that the majority of the Eagles’ offensive success can be attributed to factors other than Hurts. In Newton’s view, however, it’s not Hurts’ skill that knocks him out of the top 10, it’s simply the talent around him.
“On a given metric scale … can [Hurts] do it? Absolutely. He lacks nothing in the skills department,” Newton argued. “It’s just unfortunate because the team situation doesn’t require [Hurts] to showcase [his] individual talents.”
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts arrives at Eagles training camp in style, unveils new Jordan Trunner OS shoes
Newton then started comparing his playing career to Hurts’.
“And petty Cam [referring to himself] keeps creeping back up to the microphone, and he can say, ‘Should I go down a list of things that I have that Jalen doesn’t?” Newton said, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021. Newton did not end up delving into a comparison between the two, but plenty of fans on social media did, specifically pointing to how their stats compare through their first four seasons as starting quarterbacks.
Hurts has not responded to any of the comments made by Newton — or any of the offseason rankings — and there’s no reason to expect that he will. On Wednesday, Hurts said that he is “purely focused on being the best that I can be.”
But coming off an MVP performance in the Super Bowl, there’s no shortage of extra motivation for this upcoming season should he need it.