It’s been a little over a year since Carolina Panthers legend Cam Newton was officially on an NFL roster. But that amount of time, which may not have an end in sight, isn’t affecting the soon-to-be 34-year-old’s plans for himself.
On Tuesday, the former Most Valuable Player and current free agent quarterback hit the field for Auburn University’s pro day—throwing for his younger brother Caylin and, presumably, teams who were in attendance. And now, here on Saturday, Newton released an inside look into the workout and caught us up to speed on where he’s at.
“What if I told you since Carolina in 2019 was the last time I had a full offseason—meaning understand the playbook, take on the playbook, play a season,” he said in his new YouTube video. “I had it with New England, but we went different ways. We divided like knees.”
That division happened during the final cuts leading up to the 2021 campaign, when head coach Bill Belchick handed over the reins to rookie Mac Jones. Newton, in his lone season up north, helped lead an underwhelming Patriots roster to a 7-8 mark over his 15 starts—completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions and running for 592 yards and 12 scores.
Newton went on:
“So, where I’m at now is like, ‘Cam, I’m not gonna allow anyone else to speak for me.’ They say, ‘Are you done?’ Hell no, I’m not done. I’m just waiting on an opportunity—a right opportunity. Not a bailout opportunity. I don’t wanna come in midseason. Allow me to digest something in the offseason, understand the coaches, understand the players, understand the personnel. Not mid-year, not a relief fund, panic mode, after the draft. Do this, do that, do that, do this. No. Let me dissect something.”
He didn’t get much time to dissect any of that in his last chance, one that came with the Panthers later in 2021. The franchise’s all-time leading passer rejoined the organization just days before their Week 10 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals—which ended up in a run of five starts over the team’s final eight games of a tumultuous season.
So, if Cam is sticking to his guns—one of which apparently still has some ammunition left in it—that “right” opportunity may have to come pretty soon.
