By Damon Knight, Tribune Correspondent
On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers made headlines when they announced that quarterback, Cam Newton, has been cut. Newton, 30, was the No. 1 overall pick by the Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft. He would proceed to win the 2011 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. As time went on, Newton would become a 3x Pro-Bowler and an NFL MVP in 2015. However, after a series of shoulder surgeries and a Lisfranc injury in his left foot last season, the Panthers felt like it was time to move on. According to reports, general manager Marty Hurney met with Newton a week ago to discuss a plan. Although the star quarterback didn’t take it too kindly, saying, “I never asked for it,” he said. “Please do not try and play me or manipulate the narrative and act like I wanted this; you forced me into this.”
Coincidentally, Carolina was trying to shop Newton to the Chicago Bears or the Los Angeles Chargers. Unfortunately, a deal wasn’t able to get done. The team quickly recovered by signing free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a 3-year, $63M deal with $40M guaranteed in the first two seasons. As for Newton, he has one-year, $19M remaining on his current contract. The teams that are reportedly interested in Newton’s services are:
1. New England Patriots
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Denver Broncos
5. Miami Dolphins
Newton has played in 125 games and has started 124 of them. His record in the regular season is 68-55-1. As for the postseason, Newton is 3-7, and that’s including his start in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos. Cam is the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (29,041), passing touchdowns (182) and rushing touchdowns (58).
