Cam Newton is only 33 years old and is ready to make a big return to the NFL. He spent the 2021 season with the Carolina Panthers and threw for 684 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions and posted a 0-5 record in five starts. The Panthers didn’t re-sign Newton once the 2021 season came to an end, which leads to the question of if Newton will play in the NFL this fall.
During the offseason, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Charlotte Observer reported that the Panthers were open to bringing back Newton. However, that looks like that won’t happen since the team recently traded for Baker Mayfield. Currently, the Panthers have four quarterbacks on the roster, including, Mayfield, PJ Walker, rookie Matt Corral and Sam Darnold who started 12 games last year. It’s likely Mayfield will be the starter since he had some success with the Cleveland Browns during his four seasons with the team.
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Back in May, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer spoke to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on PFT PM and said that he and head coach Matt Rhule have been in contact with Newton. “I think we’re still having thoughts,” Fitterer said, per Panthers Wire. “We have to see how this works out here throughout the spring. I just happened to be up at the [Kentucky] Derby last weekend and Cam was up there. We’re texting a little bit. The lines of communication are open. I know Coach Rhule has spoken with him. We are going to have a discussion at some point but we’re just not quite there yet, but we’ll see how it goes. The more competition we have at that position the better.”
Newton was selected No. 1 overall by the Panthers in 2011. In his first nine seasons, Newton won Offensive Rookie of the Year Offensive Player of the Year and MVP while being selected to the Pro Bowl three times and the All-Pro First Team once. He led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015, but the team lost to the Denver Broncos. In his career, Newton has recorded 75 rushing touchdowns, which is a record for a quarterback. He also holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season (14).
