CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 26: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers is introduced prior to the first half of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Cam Newton responds to criticism from ESPN analyst Ryan Clark

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Say what you will about the results, but former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton never backed down from a challenge during his NFL career. Newton has taken the same approach in his new role as an analyst and member of the media. Case in point: Cam isn't backing down from his take wondering if Jayden Daniels could be a one-hit wonder QB just like Robert Griffin III.

That idea didn't sit well with ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who called Newton out for what he thought was a bad take based on Daniels' reported superb work ethic. In his latest 4th & 1 podcast, Newton doubled down and made a fair point that having good character is no guarantee of success and we should still be free to critique.

"Nobody is above critique if you play the game of football or any sport. Just because he's a model citizen, we can't critique his game? I find that mighty strange. I still have to do my due diligence and as a member of the media to voice my opinion. Would you? You wanna play it safe? Safe don't get you nowhere. It gets you cut."

Here's the full clip with Newton's comments.

Cam Claps Back at Ryan Clark Over Jayden Daniels Comments

Hot Take of the Week out now!

: https://t.co/bobzSgopEl pic.twitter.com/CVDuL4zRNd
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) July 16, 2025

There's always a possibility that Daniels will fall off in his second season, and he wouldn't be the first. However, he looked far more impressive than RGIII as a rookie, or even Cam Newton. You can make a case that his first year in the league was the best we've seen from any quarterback.

It's also worth mentioning exactly how Griffin became a one-hit wonder. It had a lot to do with former Washington head coach Mike Shanahan puting RGIII back on the field against the Legion of Boom when he was clearly seriously injured in his first playoff game. Griffin never really recovered fom his knee injury and was soon out of the league.

Nothing like that happened to Daniels last season, and the Commanders have only improved the supporting cast around him since he was last on the field. While as a team Washington might be a good regression candidate, we expect only more greatness from Daniels.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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