Was the Panthers' Decision to Move on From Cam Newton Justified?
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule spoke to the media for the first time since free agency began last Wednesday and discussed several pertinent topics surrounding the team. One specific matter Rhule delved into was the conclusion of the Cam Newton saga in Carolina.
The team signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal last month that inevitably implied that Newton’s time in Carolina was ultimately finished. The team searched for a trade partner for the former MVP but found no suitors due to questions about Cam’s health, coming off a season-ending foot injury and an injured right shoulder the season prior. The market continued to dwindle for Newton as teams with needs at quarterback continued to go in different directions. The team’s only remaining option was to release him.
Matt Rhule was asked about the team’s decision to ultimately move on from the 30-year-old, Cam Newton, and start fresh with Teddy Bridgewater. Rhule had nothing but positive things to say about Newton.
"I don't want to make it too much about Cam in a negative way, because I have so much respect for him and the player that he is and the player that he will definitely continue to be," Rhule said. "I hope for his sake that he'll continue to find that success wherever he ends up. I just think, for us, this time of year is difficult. You have to make tough decisions about your roster and, at the end of the day, you always have to do what's in the best interest of the team moving forward. And we felt that this decision was that."
Rhule explained that Teddy’s relationship and connection with Joe Brady, the team’s first-year offensive coordinator, was a big factor as the two were together with New Orleans during the 2018 NFL season. According to Bridgewater, the two clicked “right away”, explaining how they would often work one-on-one after Saints’ practices throwing routes to the young receivers. The two kept in touch even when Brady moved on to be the passing game coordinator at LSU in 2019.
Having a quarterback familiar with Brady’s system, verbiage, and schemes will allow for a smooth transition as teams often struggle to assimilate when having a first-year offensive coordinator and a new quarterback. Matt Rhule thinks Bridgewater’s winning resume serves as further evidence of what he can bring to Carolina.
"Teddy's a guy that's really won at every level that he's been at," Rhule said. "(Teddy) won at the college level, won in the NFL, had a devastating, devastating injury, comes back, goes to New Orleans, was given a chance there, he wins again. He's just a great scheme fit for us, has been in this offense. So, really, as you're sitting there at a time when there's no offseason, he walks in Day One, he knows the verbiage, he knows the concepts... I think he's the perfect fit for us."
Many Panthers fans and people around the league voiced their disapproval for Cam Newton’s release from the Panthers. One can be thankful for what Cam brought the franchise - a Super Bowl appearance, several trips to the playoffs, an MVP trophy, to go along with the electric runs, touchdowns, and emphatic celebrations - but in the same breathe know when it is time to close the chapter. In Carolina’s eyes, it seemed like now was a perfect time.
From the Panthers’ perspective, they have brought in an entirely new coaching staff and one critical piece of having a new coaching staff is having continuity moving forward. Cam Newton is coming off back-to-back injury-ridden seasons in which he led the Panthers to a combined 6-10 record. 2020 was the final year of Newton’s five-year, $103 million contract with the team, so the team could not guarantee that he’d be on the books beyond the 2020 season. It would not have been wise for the team to extend Newton past 2020 until he proved he was 100 percent healthy - something he, unfortunately, failed to do.
It is very likely that the Panthers wanted to avoid the possibility that Cam would come back, not be 100 percent, and either misses the start of the season or come back and not be the player he was and possibly re-injure himself. There were many ‘what-ifs’ surrounding Newton and oftentimes that make front offices uneasy. The uncertainty clearly weighed on the Panthers and other teams around the league that refused to give up any assets to acquire him prior to the Panthers’ releasing Newton.
Taking into account an expiring contract, recent injury history, and a revamped coaching staff, the Panthers ultimately decided to move on from Newton. Teddy Bridgewater now occupies the Panthers’ starting quarterback role for at least the next three seasons. This gives Rhule and Brady a sense of comfort knowing they have their guy on the books for the foreseeable future. With Newton, you could not guarantee his health or his future with the team. When you consider Bridgewater and Brady’s past it makes all the more sense.
Bridgewater hasn’t been a full-time starting quarterback since 2015 when he led the Vikings to an 11-5 record and a trip to the playoffs. His 5-0 record as a starter in 2019 was all the evidence the team needed to convince themselves he could produce the same results over a full NFL season, as they’re paying him an average of $21 million per year over the next three seasons.
Will Cam Newton prove the Panthers wrong and come back and compete at the level that earned him an MVP trophy and Carolina an NFC Championship in 2016? Panthers fan all hope so, they want nothing but the best for Newton and will keep tabs on Cam wherever he ultimately ends up. Matt Rhule and general manager Marty Hurney both share similar sentiments wishing him nothing but success in the future. Newton’s options certainly seem limited currently and he may not be a starter going into training camp but you assume that if his health doesn’t hinder him, that the 30-year-old is still a sure-fire starter in the NFL.
What do you think of the Panthers’ decision to move on from Cam Newton? Which team do you think eventually signs Cam? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss it with fellow Panther fans!
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