Cam Newton Thinks Aaron Rodgers Could Be An MVP Candidate With Better Receivers
The Pittsburgh Steelers could not possibly complain about the way Aaron Rodgers has performed in 2025. Considering his age, and some of the problems that have popped up offensively throughout the year, he’s done as much as he can. He’s won them games with his arm and has been one of the only things to keep them close in some of their losses.
Part of the reason the Steelers brought Rodgers in was due to his stacked resume. They wanted a quarterback who has been there and done that, which Rodgers and his four NFL MVP awards certainly have. Former NFL QB Cam Newton thinks Rodgers could be on the way to earning his fifth this year but that his lack of receiving help is letting him down.
“It’s not the quarterback, it’s the amenities,” Newton said Friday on ESPN’s First Take. “He has shown that his play is still at a high level. And if it wasn’t for the Velcro-esque route running from the receivers, limiting separation, we may be mentioning him for the MVP, at this age.”
Aaron Rodgers is definitely playing at a high level. He’s completing 68.7 percent of his passes, has 17 touchdown passes to five interceptions, and a solid passer rating of 103.1. Those numbers are terrific for a player who turns 42 in a month. And he’s certainly been one of the better quarterbacks in the league this season.
However, the MVP may be a little much. Rodgers is only throwing for 211.5 yards per game, so he’s not exactly throwing the ball all over the field. He’s also focusing on getting the ball out as quick as possible. So there are some limitations to his game.
However, that’s where Newton’s argument comes in. When Rodgers has good blocking, he’s shown a willingness to sit in the pocket and extend plays. He did it throughout the Steelers’ loss to Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago.
That blocking hasn’t been there often enough though. The line is getting better as the year goes on. However, it’s not enough for Rodgers to feel comfortable holding onto the ball on a consistent basis.
Newton also points to the receivers, something he’s done a few times recently. The Steelers could have made a splash move at the trade deadline but elected not to. They did bring in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who will compete for time against the rest of the room. But in DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, the Steelers have some talent to go around. And we know how much Rodgers loves his tight ends as well.
Aaron Rodgers won’t be winning the MVP award this year. But Newton feeling comfortable enough to throw his name out there is a sign the Steelers made the right decision in signing him.
Kyle Shanahan’s masterful usage of Kyle Juszczyk could have huge impact on 49ers’ playoff push
The 49ers continue to deal with injury issues at wide receiver, as they will likely again be without Ricky Pearsall as well as long-term absentee Brandon Aiyuk for the visit of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
San Francisco’s adversity at the pass-catching spots has meant that, for most of the year, the aerial attack has centered around Christian McCaffrey.
The running back leads the 49ers in receiving yards (626) and has four receiving touchdowns, with McCaffrey maximized as a passing game easy button for Mac Jones in the absence of starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
McCaffrey is so effective in the passing game in part because head coach Kyle Shanahan does an excellent job of creating ways to get him into open space.
A key player in the creation of those open looks is fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Because of his own upside in the passing game, Juszczyk offers a rare skill set from the fullback position, and he was quietly key to McCaffrey’s production both on the ground and through the air in San Francisco’s Week 9 win over the New York Giants.
The 49ers gashed one of the worst run defenses in the NFL to the tune of 159 yards, with Juszczyk instrumental.
Juszczyk can excel as a blocker from a host of different alignments, but the 49ers leaned heavily on one look against the Giants. San Francisco consistently aligned Juszczyk just behind the line of scrimmage in a position similar to a H-back, with fullback’s body tilted slightly to the inside.
Throughout the game, the 49ers ran from this look, with Juszczyk either motioning across the formation and then blocking or winding back into an offset I formation just before the snap.
Juszczyk was extremely effective in helping create running lanes for McCaffrey and Brian Robinson when used in this fashion, so it was perhaps no surprise that, in fourth quarter with the 49ers leading 27-17 and in need of one more explosive to put away the Giants, the New York defense was completed deceived by San Francisco’s decision to call a pass from the same look.
The 49ers lined up in 22 personnel with Juszczyk aligned to the strength of the formation just behind George Kittle, again with his body turned towards the inside. Everything about the personnel and the formation said run. However, at the snap both Kittle and Juszczyk ran routes towards the middle, causing utter confusion among the Giants defenders to that side.
Kittle drew the attention of Brian Burns — who initially tried to engage with him in a block — and the boundary corner, but the play wouldn’t have worked without Juszczyk occupying the eyes of the middle linebacker. The result: McCaffrey uncovered on a wheel route up the sideline, and a lay-up for Jones. It produced a 39-yard catch-and-run, putting the 49ers in the red zone. Four plays later, McCaffrey was in the endzone and the game was over as a contest.
It was a masterful demonstration of how Shanahan shows defenses one thing from a certain look throughout a game, before confounding the opponent in a key moment by deploying personnel in the same manner only to pivot to an entirely different play. In this instance, at the heart of it all was the game’s most versatile fullback.
Pearsall will eventually return, and the 49ers still expect Aiyuk back at some point this season.
Still, the 49ers are going to continue to rely on Shanahan’s ability to draw up easy buttons to McCaffrey, which gives their aerial attack a very high floor. As such, Juszczyk’s passing-game threat and his success in serving as a decoy for McCaffrey will be critical down the stretch as the 49ers aim to ensure they make the playoffs despite their catalogue of injuries.
