Cam Newton vs. Aaron Rodgers: Which QB Has the Brighter NFL Future?

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had the most surprising performance of Week 1, throwing for 422 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for an additional touchdown and completing nearly 65 percent of his passes in his team's loss against the Arizona Cardinals.

Today, Newton and the Panthers take on the reigning Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, with their equally as explosive quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Well, "equally," might be a bit presumptuous.

Yes, Newton was effective in his regular season debut after struggling in the preseason. However, he did not lead his team to a victory, he threw an interception and he was sacked four times.

Certainly he will improve further as he gets more playing time, but to say his future is brighter than that of Rodgers is pretty difficult.

Rodgers will likely be the leader of the Packers for the remainder of his career and he is leading a team that is much more talented overall than the Panthers.

It is possible that the presence of Newton under center attracts new and better talent to the Panthers in the next few seasons and of course it is also possible that valuable players will leave the Packers for another team or retirement.

However, in the immediate future Rodgers has a better chance than Newton to make the playoffs and reach the Super Bowl. Personally, I think he will have a better chance than Newton in the 2012 season as well.

It's true that during all those years Rodgers sat on the bench behind Brett Favre no one really knew what he had in store once he took control of the Packers. The same can be said for Newton in the very beginnings of his NFL career.

After just one game it is quite a stretch to say that Newton's career is certain to surpass that of Rodgers. At the very least, Newton needs to notch a win before he's deserving of much more praise.