Fans often forget that a negotiation, particularly through free agency, is a two-street way. Not only must a team want to sign a player, but that player must also want to sign with that team.
And that, as we move into April, remains the case between the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton.
In a revealing one-on-one interview between himself and Jonathan M. Alexander of The Charlotte Observer, general manager Scott Fitterer expanded a bit more on a possible return for the franchise’s all-time leading passer. When asked by Alexander if the Panthers had a contingency plan in free agency after the Deshaun Watson pursuit fell through, Fitterer—perhaps surprisingly so—brought up Newton’s name himself.
“Obviously, there are things that might shake free in the future that we might be more interested by, but right now we don’t want to force anything to get someone in,” he said. “If Cam is sitting there and he feels it’s the right fit at some point, maybe he’s an option to come back. A lot of that is going to be in his hands. Does he want to come back? Does he want to take this role? We’re very open to that. But we weren’t just going to run out and sign a guy to sign a guy. We want to have an upgrade.”
A contingency plan the Panthers might’ve had, according to The Athletic‘s Joseph Person, was to bring Newton in as a backup to Watson—had they landed the former Houston Texan. That, however, obviously didn’t happen.
Additionally, in a report from ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Newton has stated there are teams currently interested in signing him. But, as was always the case for Cam since the offseason began, he’s waiting on the right opportunity that’ll present him with both a chance to win and a chance to play.
Can that eventually come in Carolina? If it does, Fitterer doesn’t seem to mind having Newton be apart of the team’s backbone once again.
“You can’t have enough guys like him in the building from a leadership standpoint, from a presence standpoint, an example for that room,” he added. “Plus he’s an intense, elite competitor, and that rubs off and that’s the type of guy we want.”
