Cam Newton had a shocking admission about the current state of his current NFL career during an appearance on the May 2 edition of “Undefined with Josina Anderson” — mainly that the NFL doesn’t need the 2010 Heisman at Auburn and 2015 NFL MVP winner with the Carolina Panthers anymore.
“Where I’m at right now in my life, do I need the NFL? No,” Newton admitted. “Does the NFL need me? Hell no. I think that understanding is the reason why I’m able to kind of just be fine.”
Newton had listed a group of NFL quarterbacks he’d be willing to back up, but just about all of them signed someone else. At this point in the NFL offseason, it wouldn’t be shocking to hear Newton’s name only when he wants to be heard. Come training camp, the preseason, and the start of the regular season, his name figures to resurface when a team goes down a starter.
Cam Newton could be preserving his career by sitting out
Cam Newton could be playing 4D chess with the NFL by failing to find the right terms with a team on a deal. Newton experienced shoulder and foot injuries during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, rendering him largely ineffective/absent before a move to New England during the pandemic. That Patriots stint set back his stock, and a half-season with the Panthers in 2021 that saw him go winless as a starter further buried him in the free-agent scrap heap.
Combine Newton’s insistence that he’s still a starter, and neither this offseason nor last was the right time for a signing. In the not-so-distant future, though, with a few years to get healthier, Newton could once again find himself in the starting role he desires — even if it comes in the wake of a quarterback room emergency from an unsuspecting team.