The San Francisco 49ers have moved into the top spot in the NFC playoff structure, and head coach Kyle Shanahan's team is playing sensational football. The Niners have won 5 straight games behind Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, and it would be a surprise if they don't end up with the No. 1 seed at season's end.

However, former Carolina Panther quarterback Cam Newton is not overly impressed with Purdy's play at quarterback. He criticized the Niners quarterback recently, calling him a “game manager” who did not compare with the better quarterbacks in the NFL. Newton won the MVP award in 2015 as the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers.

Not only did Newton have an issue with Purdy, he minimized several other NFL quarterbacks. “They're not winning because of him,” Newton said of Purdy. “He's managing the game. And if we were to put that in its own right as game managers: Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff. And really, Dak Prescott. These are game managers. They're not difference makers.”

Purdy chose not to get into a battle of words with Newton, who has not played in the NFL since the 2021 season.

“I don't know,” Purdy said. “I don't want to comment on that. Like I said, I'm playing quarterback, trying to win games and we'll see at the end of all of it.”

While Newton may not believe in Brock Purdy, he is gaining traction in the MVP race this season. He has completed 252 of 359 passes for 3,553 yards with 25 touchdowns and 7 interceptions this season.