ESPN had its first round of layoffs after merging with NFL Media, and many standout names, including Cam Newton, were left without a job. In sports media, credentials can open doors, but they don’t guarantee staying power. And Newton strikingly made that point while comparing himself with Pat McAfee.

“You will never hear me hate on Pat McAfee,” said Newton on the 4th&1 Podcast. “Because to be a punter and to have this type of run of legitimacy, oh my goodness. [Does that matter what he was on the field?] It shows that it doesn’t. See, that’s where I have to step outside and say, Cam, nobody cares about your Heisman, bro. Nobody cares about your MVP in content. It’s about your audience. How many subscribers do you have? How much viewership do you have on a consistent basis? They don’t care that you were the number one overall pick. Yeah, that sounds good on an introduction, but at the end of the day, can you hold your own when that mic is on? That’s it.”

Cam Newton was a 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, 1st overall NFL draft pick in 2011, and then NFL MVP in 2015. Compared to those wins, Pat McAfee was just a punter who played eight seasons for the Indianapolis Colts.

Yet, following the ESPN layoff round, McAfee still has a tie-up with the network that pays him roughly $30 million per year, while Newton found the exit door. But McAfee’s journey to where he stands today wasn’t easy.

After retiring in 2017, Pat McAfee made bets on himself by joining Barstool Sports to learn the digital media landscape. After a year, he self-funded his own studio. The Pat McAfee Show, launched during his Barstool tenure, began operating with 100% creative control.

By the time McAfee partnered with ESPN in 2023, the show had grown to over 2 million subscribers. As of today, the podcast is on the brink of reaching a 3 million subscriber base.

The former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton has his own podcast, 4th&1, with over 500k subscribers. It seems the 37-year-old will now fully focus on scaling his independent platform.

“It’s unfortunate what happened to me – some would think – but I’m good. I got ‘4th & 1.’ I ain’t going nowhere,” said Newton after his ESPN firing.