Cam Newton humbly acknowledges Lamar Jackson's unmatched skill

Lack of confidence was never a problem for Cam Newton throughout his football career. That helped him build an 11-season NFL stint as one of the most unique talents in the league, including an MVP and a Super Bowl appearance.

But that doesn't mean Newton can't make an honest assessment of fellow quarterbacks. On his "4th and 1 Show" on YouTube, Cam was asked if he sees himself as the greatest dual-threat quarterback to ever play the game.

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"No, Lamar Jackson," Newton said. " Lamar's style is different than mine. He got big play any play. He got speed that I never had and he's just electric. I played the game more powerful. I can run, but I might probably get caught. Vick, Lamar, they ain't getting caught."

Even though Cam Newton had a shiny career with an extremely high peak in 2015, Lamar Jackson in fact has shown special abilities. Since being drafted in the first round in 2018, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback has won two MVPs .

According to Adjusted Career Elo, a useful stat to fairly measure quarterback from different eras, Jackson is on a path to clearly surpass Newton as the more productive player.

Usually, running quarterbacks tend to have a lower volume as a passer. Newton, for example, surpasses 4,000 passing yards only once (as a rookie, in 2011). Even when he won the MVP award, in 2015, he had 3,837 passing yards. Jackson's best passing numbers happened in his two MVP seasons, with 3,127 and 3,678 passing yards. But both times, he had a passer rating above 100, an efficiency Newton never achieved.

Moreover, to Newton's point, Jackson's ability to create explosive plays is impressive. He has surpassed 1,000 rushing yards twice in his career (the only quarterback to ever repeat that). Only Michael Vick and Justin Fields also had a 1,000-rushing yard season for a quarterback.

A strong case

Lamar Jackson is on pace to be an all-time great. He's only 27 and has achieved a lot individually. But the competition is significant. Based on Career Elo, it will be hard for Jackson to match what Steve Young did for the San Francisco 49ers. But Young himself has shown a lot of respect for Lamar.

"I thought that Lamar has tried to lead his game into a more sophisticated passing game, which is what he needs to be one of the best that's ever played, which I've said many times," Young told Kevin Clark on the "This Is Football" podcast. "So, I'm going to take [last year] as a transition season, which I thought was very successful. Obviously, the [AFC] championship game was a complete bummer, but it doesn't negate the advancement they've made as an organization to give Lamar Jackson the chance to be the greatest that ever played. He can't get there unless you allow him to be a sophisticated passer of the football."

A big step for Lamar is to have recognition from his peers. He's done that, and there might be much more to come.

Related: Cam Newton at peace with his football career: 'My impact gives me the comfort'