Lamar Jackson Shares Respect For Cam Newton, 'The OG, Superman'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Sunday night will mark the meeting of the reigning NFL MVP at quarterback and a former MVP quarterback when Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visit Cam Newton and the New England Patriots.
While the 31-year-old Newton is far from an old man, the 23-year-old Jackson was fresh out of high school when Cam put forth his MVP season in 2015.
So on Wednesday when speaking with Ravens reporters, Jackson showed some respect to his elder.
"He hit me up on social media before," Jackson said of Newton. "Just game recognize game. You know, he's the OG. Superman. For sure."
Previously, Newton has expressed a desire to help Jackson in any way possible in his journey through the NFL as a Black quarterback.
"I just wanted to be a vessel or an outlet for him," Newton said in January 2019. "I just know being an African-American quarterback in this league, you're facing different things than another quarterback might be facing and a lot of it is, your gift may be your curse. Your running ability may be something that people look down upon."
Jackson, of course, didn't need too much help in 2019, his first year as the Ravens' starter. He threw for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns with just six interceptions, while also rushing for 1,206 yards and seven more touchdowns en route to becoming just the second-ever unanimous NFL MVP. (Tom Brady, in 2010, was the other.)
Newton earned his MVP Award in 2015, when he threw for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, while rushing for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns. After dealing with multiple injuries over several years, Newton was released by the Panthers in March and spent the spring without an employer until late June. Now with the Patriots, he's rushed for eight touchdowns in seven games played.
"Man, I've watched Cam since Auburn. Everyone in the country did," Jackson said. "Everyone knew about Cam, Superman, doing his thing. And a lot of us looked up to him. He's a mobile quarterback and he does his thing. He won the Heisman, college championship, won MVP, went to the Super Bowl, stuff like that. So I followed him a lot, wanting to get where he is at, and now I'm here. Now I gotta play against him, so I just can't wait to do that."
