“You Get Rid of Christian McCaffrey?”: Cam Newton Hits Out at the Panthers and Giants for Mistreatment of Star Players

New York Giants’ season has been rough to say the least. Head coach Brian Daboll’s team is 2-10. And they cut quarterback Daniel Jones, just 27 games into his four-year, $160 million extension contract. In contrast, former running back Saquon Barkley is posting a career-best season for rivals Philadelphia Eagles. In 2023, New York had chosen Jones over Barkley. That decision, among many others, was criticized by Cam Newton, while chastising New York.

Now that Barkley has played at an MVP level after leaving the Big Apple, criticism is flying in at the Giants from every direction. Newton also questioned New York’s treatment of rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. He uttered harsh words about the Carolina Panthers too while discussing New York’s shortcomings.

“I do not like how shitty franchises treat star players. That tells you everything you need to know about a franchise. The only person that [the Giants] did right was Eli Manning… from day one, they did right by Eli Manning. Did they do right by Odell [Beckham Jr.]? No. Did they do right by Saquon?… same thing [with] Carolina. You get rid of Christian McCaffrey? You don’t think that guy can play?” Newton said on his 4th&1 podcast.

Newton then pointed out that the Giants and the Panthers were doing things drastically different from how two of the league’s more successful organizations handled their superstar players.

Newton shouts out the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, tied for the most Super Bowl victories (6) among NFL franchises, know how to properly build championship-winning teams. The presence of Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady had helped immensely, of course, but it still takes all 53 players coming together to claim a Lombardi Trophy.

Were the Steelers and the Patriots perfect? Of course not. But their ability to retain stars and foster a positive culture is a big reason why they’ve captured so many titles. Carolina and New York, by and large, operate differently.

Newton ended his assessment of the Panthers and Giants by praising Pittsburgh and New England.

“Look what the Pittsburgh Steelers did to Ben Roethlisberger. Look what the New England Patriots did to Tom Brady… everybody don’t have the resume of [those two], but you still have franchise guys. Look what the Arizona Cardinals did to Larry Fitzgerald… there’s a code of ethics.”

Newton went on to call the Giants “a sh*tshow”. New York isn’t alone in not paying their superstar running back in recent years, but the decision to open the checkbook for Jones instead of Barkley will always be criticized.

Their front office’s competency will be questioned even more heavily if Philly wins Super Bowl LIX and/or they fail to find their franchise quarterback in this year’s draft. Through Week 13, the Giants are first in the 2025 NFL Draft pecking order.

New York’s next opportunity to get back in the win column comes versus the New Orleans Saints in Week 14.