Cam Newton Has Problem With NFL's 2026 Announcers Lineup

Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton is calling out the league’s 2026 announcers lineup.

The NFL’s top in-game announcers for the 2026 season will include: Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, Tom Brady, J.J. Watt, Luke Kuechly and Kirk Herbstreit.

Newton, a former NFL MVP and No. 1 overall draft pick, is calling out the league’s top announcers makeup. He’s noticing that they’re all white.

“Is it the position you played? Is it your resume as a player?” Newton asked on his on his 4th & 1 show, per Awful Announcing. “Or is it just the likability? Because if we’re talking about how did Kirk Herbstreit get that deal? We know how Tom Brady got his deal. How does Tony Romo get his deal? We know how Troy Aikman got his deal. How does Cris Collinsworth get his deal? These are all mainstream color commentators that we see. We’re seeing these faces, as if to say Charles Davis is not capable…RGIII is not capable. Jonathan Vilma, is he capable? Jason McCourty, is he capable?”

Newton did point out that Louis Riddick at ESPN had a primetime analyst role on Monday Night Football. However, ESPN ultimately hired Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

“Do you not think Ryan Clark is capable? We’ve seen it,” Newton continued. “Brandon Marshall, he’s a sharp guy. You got a guy like Emmanuel Acho, who verbally, his vernacular can hold its own with whoever. Do you always have to be a quarterback? Well, J.J. Watt’s not a quarterback. Luke Kuechly is not a quarterback. So what’s the metric here?”

Newton would like to see some changes

Newton would like to see some changes being made.

“We’re talking about a sport that’s dominated by upwards of 75% minorities,” Newton emphasized. “But the people who are covering the sport to the world, giving color commentary, are Caucasians…There are more minority former players that are capable of holding their job similar to the guys who continue to get these jobs.”