Cam Ward is putting the NFL scouts on notice before accepting the honor of a potential No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. Ward ended his collegiate career on a highly controversial note. He amassed 190 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant first half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl but decided to sit out the rest of a 42-41 loss to Iowa State. Quite obviously, it didn’t bode well with the team and the entire fanbase. Critics slammed him for being selfish to a team that gave him unprecedented name, fame, and money for the last two years.

Despite catching hell from all across the nation, the 22-year-old tried to come clean on his part saying it was a hard decision for him just to play a part of the game and sit still for the rest, but he had to what was best for his health at that moment given the NFL payday demands so. The backlash became even more intense after Ward dropped it to Iowa State for just one point. Ward’s historic 156th touchdown of their career and dynamic performance to lead the team to 31 first-half points turned hollow as soon as he left the gridiron. We are down a month, but fans still haven’t forgotten the heartbreak they received after Ward broke the pseudo-altruist image of himself in their heads.

With the NFL talks getting denser with the draft, Ward is likely to go inside the Top 5 if not the No 1. He could very well find his name first by Tennessee or a club trading up. He has a smooth resume to add to his storied stock. But it seems the standout QB isn’t feeling very secure about his chance to land on the early picks. He is issuing a stern warning to any NFL team planning to pass on him.

”Okay, you’re either going to draft me or you’re not,” Ward said Monday night before receiving the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top college quarterback. “If you don’t draft me, that’s your fault. You’ve got to remember you’re the same team that’s got to play me for the rest of my career, and I’ll remember that.” 

With Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders in the competition, teams may be too tempered by them to snub Cam Ward as the first pick. Either way, he can be sure to go into the top five. Even if the Titans pass, the Cleveland Browns (No. 2), New York Giants (No. 3), or Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) would likely take him on the board. But it seems fans couldn’t take the cocky warning without a wave of savage counters.

Fans couldn’t be more mad at Cam Ward’s cocky NFL warning 

Ward hasn’t entirely opted out from the bowl game like many of the players did to safeguard their health ahead of the draft. What Cam did is to half appear for the game. If you think of a critic’s perspective, you can call it tricky but if you look with a softer undertone, you will understand the greater mental math behind the decision. If Cam had opted out of the game, he would unwillingly make the path for the others to do the same, making his team more vulnerable to a depth crunch. So, the selfish narrative might not make sense that much, but fans are fans. All they see is what is visible right in front of their eyes.

Ward’s NFL threat just came off as added fuel to their rage. One of the fans threw a shade saying, ”Guy walks out of his own team and tells us about it, what a joke.”

Overconfidence and an overbearing attitude have historically led players into deep waters. If you go through the NFL history, you can find a series of names that have been lost under the fire just for being extra pushy for their spot in the league. Fans give the bitter reminder to Cam. noting, ‘‘Every quarterback that has ever said that has flopped”. You can look at names like JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, and Johnny Manziel, who had been a short fling despite being super hype during the draft.

Some fans can smell the same dross as Cam, ”Somebody says it every year, not a story, move it along,” another fan wrote in the comment. ”This year’s bust button,” fan continued to echo the frustration over Cam Ward’s naked exhibition of the non-sportsmanship spirit and matched it up to the past bloopers.

UCLA QB Josh Rosen’s journey in the NFL has been a fallen fairytale. After being drafted 10th overall in 2018, he was once a shining star. Now, he finds himself as a free agent, navigating the challenges of professional football. Fans just straightway downgraded Cam Ward’s career to that of Rosen’s misfortune, asking, ‘‘Josh Rosen part 2?

Overall, Ward has undoubtedly been an asset to his team and to the entire college football community, regardless of the flakes. It will be interesting how his NFL journey pans out down the stretch.