Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cam Newton would play quarterback again

Cam Newton took the 2022 NFL season off from playing football. The 2011 number-one overall pick has had a frustrating back half of his career, really ever since he led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl 50. Newton earned the NFL MVP during that season. But injuries hampered his career after the 2016 season. He joined the New England Patriots in 2020 and then returned to the Panthers for one year in 2021. Newton recently named quarterbacks he’d be willing to back in the 2023 season.

According to a video posted on Newton’s YouTube account, the All-Pro quarterback said he still believes he can play better than the top 32 starting quarterbacks in the league:

“This is how I feel. There ain’t 32 guys that’s better than me,” Newton said. “But I also know that I could also be a backup, and I’m willing to be a backup. There’s a narrative that’s out there that says, you know, Cam does not want to be a backup. I never said I didn’t want to be a backup, so I’m going to take this time to explain who and what situation I would want to be a backup to and for.”

Quarterbacks Newton would backup

Newton named several quarterbacks he’d backup next season. Here’s the list:

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