The Carolina Panthers are highly unlikely to bring back Cam Newton again.
After drafting Matt Corral in the third round, Carolina acquired Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield will probably take the starting job from Sam Darnold, whose shoulder injury paved the way for the Panthers to reunite with Newton during the 2021 season.
While Carolina is no longer seeking outside help at quarterback, wide receiver Robbie Anderson believes Newton remains talented enough to find another NFL team.
“I think if he wanted to (be in a camp) he could,” Anderson told The Charlotte Observer‘s Ellis Williams. “He probably just wants to make sure he chooses the right situation for himself.”
The Panthers lost all five of Newton’s starts after throwing the former MVP into duty. On The Pivot podcast, he said he’d rushed himself into adverse situations when joining Carolina last year and the New England Patriots in 2020.
“I was signed on Thursday, I played on Sunday. At what point did you think you were going to be successful,” Newton said, referring to himself. “That next Sunday, you started. That’s still up under 10 days of you being on the team. And you’re still trying to learn an offense.”
If Newton plays this year, it’d likely be under similar circumstances. The 33-year-old remains unsigned as teams begin training camp, so he might not find a new club unless an injury creates an opening.
Anderson, who called Newton “family,” will now look to build rapport with Mayfield. He said he posted “Nooooo” in response to an Instagram post linking Mayfield to the Panthers to defend Darnold.