Cam Newton is no stranger to making bold and controversial statements about the NFL, and his latest take has once again set off a wave of debate. On his podcast “4th & 1,” the former MVP caused a stir by revealing his current top five quarterbacks – a list that notably did not include Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, despite the Chiefs being the league’s only unbeaten team this season.

During a recent episode (timestamp 1:42:04), Newton named his “QB Trust Rankings,” which featured Lamar Jackson on top followed by Jared Goff, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Sam Darnold.

The omission of Mahomes quickly raised eyebrows, with many questioning how the quarterback of the league’s top team could be left off the list.

Why does Cam Newton hate Pat Mahomes?

Newton, however, stood by his picks, suggesting that his criteria for “trust” went beyond just winning games. According to him, Mahomes, while incredibly skilled, didn’t fit his current top five for clutch consistency.

“He’s not playing up to the caliber that we expect [him] to play. Even sitting at 6-0, thay have found ways not to lose. And teams have found ways to lose those games,” he said.

Mahomes has had a challenging start to the season, with more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six) through six games. He ranks 16th in passing yards (1,389) and 9th in QBR (61.2), completing 67.9 percent of his passes.

After the Chiefs‘ recent win over the San Francisco 49ers, Mahomes acknowledged his struggles but emphasized that the team’s victories are the top priority.

“We’re winning games against good teams by a good amount of points and that’s not easy for the NFL,” Mahomes noted.

“But I just don’t think it’s normal for what you’ve seen from us because there’s not a lot of passing touchdowns. There’s been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. So, I think it’s just showing the versatility of our team. It’s not just about me, it’s not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It’s about playing team football.”