Former NFL MVP Cam Newton voiced renewed frustration after new reports revealed that the Denver Broncos asked 47-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees to come out of retirement for last season’s playoffs.
Though Newton has not taken the field since his final game with the Carolina Panthers in January 2022, the 37-year-old Auburn Heisman Trophy winner has never officially retired from the NFL.
As injuries hit Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., and Cooper Rush, fans online seized on the opportunity to push for Newton, lobbying for the Atlanta native to make a homecoming rescue run.
However, Newton says he has not received any calls for a NFL comeback opportunity.
“First off, I don’t know if to take this offensive or just outright disrespectful,” Newton said on his 4th&1 podcast, referring to the report that Brees was offered a starting role in the playoffs last season.
“How y’all go get Drew Brees, who a year younger than my daddy?” Newton continued. “And (former NFL QB) Philip Rivers is a year younger than my grandaddy, and then y’all overlook me?
“I want to at least say, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ Man, my phone ain’t rang in five years!”
After Denver lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending injury ahead of the AFC Championship Game in late January, Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael made a surprise call to Brees, according to ESPN.
The two Broncos assistants, along with head coach Sean Payton, had a long history with Brees from their time together when the quarterback played for the New Orleans Saints, although Payton said Monday he was unaware at the time that his assistants spoke to Brees.
Brees told veteran NFL reporter Ed Werder on Tuesday that while he embraced the idea of aiding Denver, a workout with his son quickly killed the plan. Brees discovered he could no longer throw 15 yards with the velocity required for NFL competition — months before his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the summer.
Meanwhile, Philip Rivers, who initially retired in 2020 after 17 NFL seasons, came off his couch at age 44 to start three games for the Indianapolis Colts last December after injuries sidelined their top quarterbacks. The Colts failed to make the playoffs, and Rivers returned to his role as a high school coach in Alabama.
“How these old a** folks keep getting all these jobs and y’all keep looking at me like I’m a slop?” Newton said. “Someone put in the comments, ‘Y’all act like Cam Newton gonna 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. I mean, damn, I can do better than Cooper Rush. He ain’t even QB2. He QB Who? I’m like, damn!”
Rush started for the Falcons in a 20-13 Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. He completed just 54.6% of his passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, including a costly pick six that gave the Steelers a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Tagovailoa’s late-week practice oblique injury knocked him out of Atlanta’s Week 1 starting lineup. Meanwhile, Penix Jr., next in line on the depth chart, remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from last season’s ACL tear.
Rush is now dealing with back spasms, but he is still expected to start again for the Falcons versus Newton’s former Panthers squad in Sunday’s home opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“At some point, somebody gotta call it how it is,” Newton said. “Bruh, y’all really think that low of me that I can’t go out there and ball? I mean, damn.”
