Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton’s future remains highly uncertain

Will Cam Newton be with the Carolina Panthers or another franchise in the 2020 NFL season? The answer remains as uncertain as ever early in the offseason.

Questions about the future of Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers have persisted since the regular season. With the potential to save just shy of $20 million by trading the former No. 1 overall pick, the Panthers do have some incentive to possibly deal the way the 2015 NFL MVP. As to whether they will or not remains to be seen.

It’s a topic that has been on the minds of many and one that gained more steam when the Panthers hired Matt Rhule to be their new head coach and then added Joe Brady as the offensive coordinator. Bringing in two guys from college would seemingly indicate working with a young team and, subsequently, a young quarterback.

But anything said about that meaning the Panthers would move on from Newton is merely educated conjecture. There is no certainty about the situation. And when speaking with Steve Reed of the Associated Press, Carolina general manager Marty Hurney did nothing to add any clarity to the situation. When asked about Newton’s future, his reply was abrupt:

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"“He’s rehabbing, that’s all I can say.”"

Thank you for telling us something we already knew.

For what it’s worth, as noted by Kevin Patra of NFL.com, Newton said at Super Bowl LIV that he would “absolutely” be back with the Panthers for 2020 season. However, a player saying that and someone from the front office saying that are two entirely different things. And Hurney offered no such assurances.

If you’re just looking at in-house options for the Panthers at quarterback, then Newton is clearly the guy. Kyle Allen had a nice run filling in for Newton following the first two weeks of the 2019 season but dropped off dramatically once the league got film on him. And 2019 rookie Will Grier showed few signs of promise when he saw the field. Thus, an assumedly healthy Newton would give them the best chance to win.

Having said that, Carolina owns the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and has the capital to potentially make a jump ahead of the Dolphins or Chargers, two other teams in need of a quarterback, should they choose to move on from Newton and draft his successor. Furthermore, trading Newton would likely give them more capital to move in a potential trade up as well.

For now, however, there’s nothing that can be said with certainty other than Cam Newton is still a member of the Carolina Panthers. How long that remains the case remains very much in question and one of the most interesting storylines of the 2020 NFL offseason.