Overview
- On his 4th&1 podcast posted Jan. 2, Cam Newton said Drake Maye is a “game manager” and not yet a game-changer, attributing New England’s leap to Mike Vrabel and play-caller Josh McDaniels.
- Maye remains the MVP frontrunner with 4,203 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, a 71.7% completion rate, a 112.9 passer rating and a league-leading 8.9 yards per attempt, and the Patriots have clinched the AFC East.
- Former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel blasted Newton on X, calling him “just a big guy that can run the ball,” as social-media users widely criticized the label.
- Media coverage, including Awful Announcing, characterized Newton’s comment as a calculated attempt to provoke reaction and drive attention to his show.
- Newton’s critique follows earlier jabs at Maye and the Patriots as “fool’s gold,” while Maye has publicly downplayed the noise and focused on the team’s season-closing stretch.