When the Cleveland Browns named QB Dillon Gabriel their Week 5 starter, the Shedeur Sanders talks spiraled out of control. The Browns knew what they were getting when they drafted him in the fifth round, and this entire offseason, it was very clear that Gabriel, their third-round pick, was ahead of him on the depth chart.
Now, NFL legend Cam Newton is letting fans know who he believes Sanders is better than.
Cam Newton Believes Shedeur Sanders is a Better Quarterback Than J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy as the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. But they only got two games out of him. The Michigan graduate was sidelined in all of 2024, and now he’s set to miss his third game of the 2025 season. Health aside, Newton still believes Sanders is better, “When I saw J.J. McCarthy go Top 10, a first round pick, I said, Shedeur Sanders is better than J.J. McCarthy today. That’s just my honest opinion.”
After that statement, NFL fans were quick to attack Newton. The legendary quarterback has long been in the same conversation as Sanders, but now fans see a different light on the situation and made sure to call Newton out.
Shedeur Sanders > JJ McCarthy???
yes, according to Cam Newton.
pic.twitter.com/0EMLAkVo3W— JPA (@jasrifootball) October 3, 2025
“Doing this for clicks and views lol,” one fan wrote. Someone else commented, “Cam Newton is f***ing stupid,” with a laughing emoji. Another said, “Wow: Cam Newton admits he has CTE.”
Cam Newton is fucking stupid 😂
— J (@JJetsX) October 3, 2025
Through McCarthy’s first two games in the NFL, he earned an F grade in PFSN’s QB Impact metric. It’s far too early to pull the plug on the McCarthy experiment, as he’s been plagued with injuries throughout his career. To Newton’s point, no one has even given Shedeur a shot to be a starter.
One fan commented, “That’s dumb,” while another added, “At miming? Yes. At playing football? No.” The miming comment is a direct reference to Sanders’ shot at Rex Ryan after the Browns named Gabriel QB1 over him. Heading into Week 5, the Browns moved QB Joe Flacco to QB2 as Sanders saw no movement on the depth chart.
At miming? yes. At playing football? no.
— The Boys Do Sports (@TheBoysDoSports) October 3, 2025
Someone else jumped on the CTE train, “Can’t spell Cam Newton without CTE,” as another commented, “My goodness LMAO” and included a picture of a speechless Nick Wright.
My goodness LMAO https://t.co/QSBSY42WD2 pic.twitter.com/TMdb3ydvSP
— Jet Optimist – Mark (@drmtesta) October 3, 2025
The Browns knew that Flacco wasn’t going to cut it, but it’s been clear from the start that Cleveland was going to give their No. 94 overall pick a chance to start before their No. 144 pick.
At the end of the day, Sanders turned down the Baltimore Ravens. Had he not, he’d be starting in Week 5 as they just ruled out QB Lamar Jackson.
