Cam Newton Makes Bold Claim That AFC Squad, Not Cowboys, Is 'America's Team'

Cam Newton has never been short of words — well, except after a loss in the Super Bowl. But now that he has his own podcast, 4th & 1 , he's letting it all loose.

In a recent episode, Newton focused on the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott, arguing that the veteran starting quarterback needs to be paid top dollar by owner Jerry Jones.

Prescott is in the last year of his four-year, $160 million deal. He is just one of several notable Cowboys looking for a contract extension. He'll come with a massive cap hit this season of over $55 million.

However, Newton had more to say about the Cowboys. In talking about Prescott, Newton claimed that the Cowboys are no longer "America's Team."

"They don’t seem to know how to win, and then everybody points fingers at Dak," Newton said. "I understand the whole 'America’s Team.' That is not America’s Team no more, ladies and gentlemen. I don’t know who has to say that.

"The Kansas City Chiefs are 'America’s Team' by way of who’s dating who and who’s winning what. They are 'America’s Team.' Let’s stop lying to ourselves, OK? If y’all want to get back to that title, y’all have to obviously win, OK?"

The Cowboys received the America's Team moniker from the NFL Films highlight reel of their 1978 season.

Back then, led by Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry, the Cowboys were coming off appearances in three out of the last four Super Bowls, with a win in Super Bowl XII.

They were able to maintain the nickname even after some tough sledding in the 1980s, and they won three Super Bowls in four years starting with the 1992 season.

The 1995 season was the last time Dallas hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, and since then, they have yet to even make it past the divisional round.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs, under head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have become the next great dynasty in the NFL. They've made the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, earned four Super Bowl appearances during that stretch, and won three out of the last five, including two straight.

The term "America's Team" will probably always be synonymous with the Cowboys because they were the first to really make a claim to it. The Chiefs' recent success, however, is undeniable. The question is, what truly qualifies a team to earn that title? Do the Cowboys not only have to make it back to a Super Bowl, but win one, to become "America's Team" again, as Newton stated?