‘I Can Do Better Than Cooper Rush’ — Former NFL MVP QB Hints at Potential Comeback After Viral Drew Brees-Broncos Report
· Yahoo Sports
Cam Newton hasn’t played in the NFL since his 2021 stint with the Carolina Panthers, but he still believes he can compete. The former NFL MVP pushed back against those who doubt he could still help a team.
A report that Drew Brees considered returning for the Denver Broncos’ AFC Championship Game last season got Newton talking about his own comeback prospects. He also brought another quarterback into the discussion, except not as a compliment.
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Does Cam Newton Believe He Can Outplay Cooper Rush?
Speaking on his podcast “4th and 1,” Newton spoke about the Brees rumor and the fact that his phone hasn’t rang since his last NFL stint in 2021.
“How these old-[expletive] folks keep getting all these jobs, and y’all keep looking at me like I’m a slop?! Now listen, somebody is going to put in the comments, ‘Y’all acting like Cam Newton going to carry the Falcons to a Super Bowl!’ Well, I wasn’t asked to carry a team, brother or sister. They didn’t ask Philip Rivers to carry a team. They just said, ‘Manage it.’ Huh? I mean, [expletive], I could do better than Cooper Rush!
“I’m like, [expletive]. At some point, somebody got to call. Hey, call it how it is. Ya’ll really think that low of me that I can’t go out there and ball? I mean, [expletive]… Drew Brees old. I’m old, but they older!”
Newton last played in 2021, when he appeared in eight games (five starts) with the Panthers. He completed 54.8% of his passes that season, throwing 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, while also rushing for 230 yards and 5 scores.
Newton suffered many injuries, including shoulder and foot injuries, during his career, which took a toll on his body and left him a shell of himself in that final season.
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It’s worth noting that Newton said later in the episode that if he did get a call from an NFL team, he wouldn’t actually come back and play. However, he was playfully taking issue with the fact that teams haven’t even tried to lure him out of retirement, turning instead to older QBs like Brees and Rivers.
According to ESPN, Brees considered coming out of retirement and playing for the Broncos last season in the AFC Championship Game.
Brees was 47 years old at the time and had not played in the NFL since the 2020 season. The Broncos considered Brees due to his familiarity with Sean Payton and Co., plus what he could bring mentally and as a leader.
Brees had mentioned earlier this year on the “New Heights” podcast that he “had some conversations” about a potential opportunity to return to the NFL. But when he tested whether his body could handle a return by throwing with his son, wrist and shoulder discomfort made it clear that an NFL comeback wasn’t in the cards.
On Tuesday, Brees explained his decision to stay retired in a post shared by NFL reporter Ed Werder.
“I started trying to rip the ball to [my son]. And man, this shoulder and this right wrist are so wasted. I got no pop,” Brees said. “So for people to say like, ‘Oh, I felt discomfort?’ Discomfort my butt, dude. I can’t throw 15 yards with any kind of pop…
“There’s like 20 guys in that Broncos organization that I know and love would love nothing more than help them, you know, win a game to get to the get to Super Bowl and then go win that thing, man. I’d love to go up against that Mike MacDonald [Seattle] defense. So much respect for him. And so anyway, man, I was mentally ready. The rest of my body? Ready. But right arm and right wrist.? They lost it a long time ago.”
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If Brees had felt physically ready to return, Payton and the Broncos probably would have signed him and assessed whether he was a better starting option than Jarrett Stidham.
An unnamed Broncos source told ESPN, “At a minimum, you sign [Brees]; he’s 1A or 1B. And Drew’s point was: ‘I know how to win a game like that.’”
Denver assistants Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael discussed a return with Brees without Payton’s knowledge, while the Indianapolis Colts brought Rivers back during the same season.
It would be shocking if Newton ever played in the NFL again, especially since he confirmed that he wouldn’t lace up his cleats again even if a team came calling. Still, it is interesting to see NFL teams reaching out to veterans like Rivers and Brees rather than younger options, but that’s likely due to relationships and comfort in a particular scheme.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.