Cam Newton is Weighing Options & Remaining Patient

We've been through this situation before with Cam Newton.

A couple of years ago when Matt Rhule was first hired as the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he and the front office seemed confident to keep Newton as the starting quarterback moving forward. This all happened after it was evident that the two sides were heading for a split down the final stretch of the season when Ron Rivera was relieved of his duties. Despite initially committing to Newton, the team granted the franchise quarterback "permission to seek a trade" before ultimately releasing him.

Fast forward to 2022 and we're watching this play out again. When Newton signed back with the Panthers, it always felt like a "2021 move", meaning that he would not be with the team beyond last season. The Panthers went 0-5 in his five starts and then handed the offense back over to Sam Darnold for the final two games of the season. With Darnold due $18 million and the team eyeing another quarterback via trade or the draft, you have to truly wonder how much the door is really open for Newton to return.

This past Friday, GM Scott Fitterer told reporters that the two sides have had conversations, but at the end of the day, it has to make sense for both the Panthers and Newton.

"Matt [Rhule] has talked to Cam. I've reached out a couple of times. He knows where we stand. I think he and Matt had a really good conversation from my understanding, but yeah, we'll see where it goes," Fitterer said. "I think it has to fit both of us. It's not just us saying hey Cam come on back. He's got to want to come back. He's got to like the role, the room, and the situation. The door is open. I'd love to add someone with his leadership, his toughness. He brought so much to this team last year and stabilized it during a really hard time. He's a really special person."

Tuesday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN shared a text that Newton sent to him regarding his status in free agency.

"I have teams that are interested in signing me. I am waiting on the best fit as it pertains to winning a championship and getting a fair chance to play."

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