Cam Newton is not done with football. At least, not in his mind.

The former NFL MVP has made it clear on his podcast, 4th & 1, that he never officially retired and does not plan to. But his latest comments are about more than just a possible comeback. They are about respect, image, and who gets a second (or third) chance in the NFL.

When the Indianapolis Colts chose 44-year-old Philip Rivers as their veteran backup instead of even calling Newton, the quarterback took it personally. Very personally.

Cam Newton: “I did not and will not retire”

Newton, now 36, wants everyone to know he is still open for business.

On 4th & 1, he shut down any idea that his career ended on his own terms.

“I did not and will not (retire), because of an opportunity like this,” Newton said. For him, every time a team looks for a veteran quarterback, that is the kind of moment he is waiting on.

When asked if he would have considered playing for the Colts, his answer was blunt and simple: “Hell yeah.” He believes he is still in good enough shape and sharp enough mentally to help a team right now.

Newton last played in the NFL in 2021. That is about four years more recent than Rivers’ last real action in 2020. From a pure timeline point of view, Newton feels he makes sense. But the league, at least so far, does not agree.

“If Cam says he’s not retired, why is the league acting like he is?”

The Colts pick Rivers over Newton – and the sting is real

The flashpoint in this story is the Colts’ decision to sign Rivers, who is 44, instead of even giving Newton a workout.

Indianapolis is in a tough spot at quarterback. Daniel Jones, brought in as a veteran option, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Young starter Anthony Richardson has also faced injuries. The team needed a steady backup who could handle the offense right away.

So they turned to a familiar face. Rivers, who played for the Colts in 2020 and led them to an 11-5 record, came out of retirement to join their practice squad as an emergency veteran option. He recently signed a one-day ceremonial retirement contract earlier in 2025, which helped him move through certain waiver rules and kept the door open for a return.

For the Colts, the move made sense on paper. Rivers already knew the building, the playbook, and the culture. He has a strong relationship with head coach Shane Steichen and praised the club as “a coach that I love and an organization that I really enjoyed being with.”

But for Newton, the move felt like an insult.

He called it “a slap in my face, bro,” and did not hold back on why it bothered him so much.

“I don’t give a damn if (Rivers) was in the family. He’s 44 years old, bro,” Newton said. In his view, there is no football reason why a 44-year-old who has been out of the league since 2020 gets called before a 36-year-old who last played in 2021.

Newton’s anger: about more than just one contract

Newton’s frustration is not just with the Colts. It sounds like he sees the Rivers decision as another sign of a bigger problem.

He believes teams hold him to a different standard than other quarterbacks. As he put it: “How are people holding Cam Newton to a standard that you’re not holding everybody else?”

From his point of view, most of this has nothing to do with arm strength, speed, or football IQ. Instead, he points to his personality, his style, and the attention he naturally brings. Newton has always been outspoken, from his celebrations to his press conferences, and he thinks that spotlight now works against him.

Reports say he has even used the word “blacklist” to describe his place in today’s NFL. In his mind, teams are not just passing on him; they are avoiding him, even when he might be a logical football choice.

“If the Colts can call a 44-year-old, how is Cam not at least getting a workout?”

Why the Colts saw Rivers as the “safe” answer

To understand the full picture, you also have to see why the Colts felt Rivers was the right fit.

From the team’s side, Rivers checks several key boxes:

• He already ran their offense in 2020.
• He led them to an 11-5 season and a playoff spot.
• He has a strong bond with the coaching staff and front office.
• He is known as a steady, low-drama locker room presence.

In a season hit by quarterback injuries, the Colts did not want to start from zero with a new veteran. They wanted someone who could walk in, grab a tablet, and be ready to back up quickly. Rivers, who has stayed close to the game, fit that description perfectly for them.

His emotional tie to the Colts also mattered. He called it “a coach that I love and an organization that I really enjoyed being with,” and that feeling was clearly mutual. That comfort level can be huge when a team is trying to steady the ship mid-season.

From that angle, the move feels logical. But logic does not erase emotion, especially for a former MVP watching from home.

The image problem: star power vs. “quiet” veterans

Newton’s comments also shine a light on how teams think about risk, even beyond Xs and Os.

Newton brings cameras, debates, and headlines, even as a backup. Every snap he takes in practice becomes a topic on shows and social media. Every quote turns into a talking point.

For some front offices, that can feel like a distraction, especially when the player is not the clear long-term starter. Newton seems to believe that this fear of attention is a major reason he is still unsigned.

Rivers, by contrast, fits the classic image of a quiet veteran: respected, family-centered, and not likely to spark daily talk-show debates if he is standing on the sideline with a headset on.

That difference in public image may be as important as age or scheme fit in decisions like this. Newton knows it, and he clearly resents it.

“Teams love Newton’s talent but fear Newton’s spotlight. That’s the real battle here.”

Is Cam Newton really “blacklisted” by the NFL?

The word “blacklist” is strong, and Newton has reportedly used it to describe how he feels the league now treats him. It is a serious claim, but it captures the pain behind his words.

From his view:

• He is younger than Rivers.
• He has played more recently.
• He says he is healthy and ready.
• He is clearly willing to accept a backup role, at least in theory.

Yet, teams continue to go in other directions.

Is that because of scheme fit? Age concerns? Past injuries? Or is it more about personality, brand, and how much attention he brings? The truth is probably a mix of all of those factors. But to Newton, the pattern is simple: he is being shut out while older, more comfortable names still get calls.

His complaint also taps into a larger, ongoing NFL theme: which quarterbacks are allowed to be “big personalities” and still get long careers as backups, and which ones are told, in effect, “thanks, but no thanks” once they are no longer clear-cut stars.

What this means for Newton’s future – and the league’s

Right now, Newton is in a strange middle space. He is not retired, by his own choice. But no team has moved to bring him in. Each time a club signs another veteran, it adds another layer to his frustration.

The Rivers signing with the Colts is about more than one job. It is a symbol of how teams weigh factors that fans rarely see on a stat sheet: comfort, familiarity, media pressure, and control of the locker room story.

For Newton, it is also a reminder that his path back to the NFL may not depend only on how he throws a football. It may depend on whether any front office is willing to accept everything that comes with the name “Cam Newton,” even as a backup.

Until that happens, he is going to keep talking, keep pushing, and keep making sure the league knows one thing:

In his mind, he is not retired. And he is not done fighting to prove he still belongs.