Cam Newton Snubs Jalen Hurts from Top-10 NFL QB Rankings, Cites Eagles' Overall Talent

Former NFL MVP Cam Newton explained why he left Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts off his list of the top 10 signal-callers in the NFL.

"It's hard for me to grade Jalen Hurts with the talent that he has around him," Newton said on his 4th & 1 show. "Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback. But if we're talking about what they bring to the table holistically, it's hard to judge what Jalen Hurts can do when you're throwing to a guy like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith. We have tight end skill sets. You have a dominant defense, the best running back in the game."

His comments regarding Hurts elicited a response from former Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith, who was also teammates with Newton on the Carolina Panthers during the 2018 season.

Hurts was recently ranked as the No. 9 quarterback in the league as part of a survey of NFL executives, coaches and scouts conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

While the Eagles owned the NFL's No. 2 scoring defense last season and star running back Saquon Barkley earned Offensive Player of the Year honors, Hurts undeniably played a major role in the team's successful year that culminated in a Super Bowl LIX rout of the Kansas City Chiefs.

He completed a career-high 68.7 percent of his passes for 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to a mere five interceptions in 15 regular-season starts. The 26-year-old also rushed for 630 yards and 14 scores.

Hurts owned a 71.4 completion percentage to go along with a 108.6 passer rating across four playoff games last season, eventually winning Super Bowl MVP.

Despite that impressive résumé, Newton doesn't believe Hurts should be considered among the league's elite.