Cam Newton believes that Russell Wilson does not deserve the praise that he’s been receiving from some despite leading the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 4-1 record as the starting quarterback, with Newton believing the team to have ‘carried him’.

Wilson had taken over the starting job over Justin Fields despite the athletic quarterback having a 4-2 record as QB1 while the former had been sidelined with an injury. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin opted to turn to Wilson despite Fields being available, with the decision looking to have been a smart one with Pittsburgh’s offense getting the best out of emerging star wide receiver George Pickens.

The Super Bowl champion led Pittsburgh to a 4-0 start, but had his struggles in tough conditions against the Cleveland Browns, losing on Thursday Night Football with Newton giving his reaction to what he’s seen from his former rival.

Speaking on his 4th&1 podcast show, Newton said: “Russell Wilson is being carried by the Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m looking at his situation and I’m saying he’s not doing anything different.

“What alarms me was this statistic that is like ‘Wilson is undefeated, the Steelers are 4-0’- who have they played? They played the Jets, the Giants, a still-on-the-bubble Washington Commanders team, and they played the Ravens. By the way, Chris Boswell kicked all their points [vs Baltimore].”

Wilson has thrown seven touchdowns to two interceptions since coming as the starter, with an impressive 98.6 quarterback rating – putting him 10th in the NFL and above the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy.

Newton believes Wilson to have been carried by the Steelers ( 

Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

However, Wilson’s future with the Steelers does still look uncertain despite his impressive start. Only on a one-year contract with the team, Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator Arthur Smuth recently stating that they see Fields as a ‘starting quarterback’.

He said: “I still view Justin and he is, I think, [a] premium starter in this league, so it’s a fine line. You don’t want to be a gadget guy, but he can help the team.”

Wilson will become a free agent next offseason, and could be in for a big contract with a number of team’s struggling at the quarterback position and likely to look for an upgrade.