Panthers 'Still Open' to Bringing Back Cam Newton
Odds are the Carolina Panthers will have a new starting quarterback in 2022. After the Sam Darnold experiment miserably failed, GM Scott Fitterer knows how vital it is to address the position this offseason.
"I think we're going through the whole process right now," Fitterer said Wednesday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. 'It's a really important decision for us. Do we go the free agent route? Do we go through the draft? We're fairly far along in the quarterback evaluations on the college class. We've gone through it from a free agent standpoint. We'll look at all other options out there, but that's definitely a priority for us as well as the offensive line."
The Panthers hold the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and could draft Pitt's Kenny Pickett or Liberty's Malik Willis. Perhaps they like a quarterback on the free agent market that would be an upgrade from Darnold, but could largely serve as a bridge to the next face of the franchise. There have also been rumors linking the Panthers to trade rumors for veterans such as Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, and yes, still Deshaun Watson.
Fitterer didn't have much to say about the team's interest in Watson given that he is under contract with another team, but did note that they will "monitor and see what's happening across the landscape".
Then, there's also the possibility the Panthers decide to bring back 32-year-old Cam Newton on a short-term deal. Newton made an immediate impact upon his return to Carolina scoring two touchdowns on his first two snaps against the Arizona Cardinals as the backup. Unfortunately, that excitement was short-lived as the Panthers would go 0-5 in Newton's starts and failed to win another game the rest of the season.
From the very beginning, team owner David Tepper wanted to do this the right way. Even if Newton or the organization decides it's best to part ways, neither side wants a second ugly breakup.
On Wednesday, Fitterer made clear that no decision has been made at this point in time and that a meeting with Newton will be happening sometime in the near future.
"The one thing with Cam is when we sat down at Mr. Tepper's house, we always said after the season when we come close to making a decision, that we would have a discussion and we'd talk person-to-person first before we share anything."
Fitterer was then asked if bringing Newton back was still in the realm of possibilities, to which he replied, "Yeah, we’re still open to Cam, but again we want to have that conversation with him directly.”
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