Cam Newton is still looking to play in the NFL. After playing eight games for the Carolina Panthers last season, the 32-year-old quarterback is a free agent and there’s no indication of who will sign him. Former Panthers teammate Greg Olsen spoke exclusively to PopCulture.com about Newton’s future in the NFL and said it all depends on how the draft goes.
“I think the NFL is better with Cam in it,” Olsen, the former tight end, exclusively told PopCulture. “I just … obviously getting close with him over the years and playing together as long as we had, I think the world of him as a guy and think the world of him as a player, but I think a lot’s going to have to sort itself out after the draft. A lot of teams will fill some holes that they didn’t fill in free agency, they’ll fill in drafts. Do they draft the young developmental backup quarterback or do they fill a need of a starter with one of the top picks? You never know how that works out with the top crop of quarterbacks in the first round. Do people see them as starters and certain teams are now no longer on the list of candidates?”
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Olsen continued: “So I think after the draft settles, that would kind of put an end to the big wave of free agency and then, of course, draft. That’ll really settle a lot of the rosters out. And then a lot of it is just Cam looking at the landscape and saying, ‘Where can I go that I’ll feel fulfilled?’ Or, ‘Where will I go where I can hopefully carve out a role for myself that I can contribute?’ And go there and try to make the best of it. So I think once the draft ends towards this summer, the late spring, early summer, there’ll be a lot more clarity as far as for veterans looking to find a good landing spot.”
Olsen and Newton played together when there both members of the Panthers from 2011 to 2019. In their nine seasons together, Newton and Olsen connected for 35 touchdowns and helped the Panthers reach the Super Bowl during the 2015 season. In March 2020, Newton was released from his contract and signed with the New England Patriots. He returned to the Panthers last season after being released by the Patriots. Olsen was also released from the Panthers in February 2020. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks shortly after being cut by the Panthers and retired once the 2020 season came to an end.
