With an extra week’s preparation, Carolina is expected to give him a look as the starter, at least for the short term. His former team – in desperate need after a potentially season-ending shoulder injury to starter Sam Darnold-took a flier on their one-time franchise icon. Then a fully-vaccinated Newton announced he was looking for a job. At the time, it felt like it could be an ignoble end to an often-thrilling NFL career. Instead of naming him a backup, the Patriots cut him altogether. Newton lost the quarterback battle with Jones this year after missing preseason games due to a “misunderstanding” of the Covid-19 protocols.
It was a quick fall from grace and his time with the Patriots is doomed to be remembered as a forgettable bridge year for both team and player. Injuries sapped Newton of his effectiveness and the team eventually released him in 2019 after failing to find a trade partner. In retrospect, the Panthers’ loss to the Denver Broncos in that Super Bowl was the end of the Killa Cam era. In 2015, he led the Panthers to a 15-1 record, took them to the Super Bowl and was named league MVP. He won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 and improved from there. Carolina drafted Newton a decade ago, even though it seems like both ages and moments ago, and he almost immediately paid dividends. "I'M BAAAAAAACK" /0hKHgrEzSC- Carolina Panthers November 14, 2021Īfter all, it’s been a long road for the 32-year-old. With the win, the Panthers improved their record to 5-5 while Arizona fell to 8-2. Against a Cardinals team playing without their brilliant quarterback Kyler Murray and others, the Panthers’ 14-0 early lead effectively ended the game in the first quarter. Showing off the two-way versatility that characterized his run to NFL MVP (and the Super Bowl) in the 2015 season, Newton scored the team’s first two touchdowns: one on the ground and the other through the air. But it didn’t matter: this was Newton’s show from the very start. This turned out to be technically true, as PJ Walker took most of the snaps during the Panthers’ 34-10 win. Turns out the only ones who needed to be worried were the Arizona Cardinals.īefore Sunday afternoon’s game, the team announced that Newton would be active but wouldn’t start. The fact that it took until Week 10 for a team to take a chance on him felt ominous.
The last time we heard from the quarterback formerly known as Superman, the New England Patriots had released him after he lost the starting battle with Mac Jones. T he Carolina Panthers’ reunion with Cam Newton could easily have been a gimmick.