Cam Newton had an emotional return to the Carolina Panthers in 2021, following a short stint with the New England Patriots.
Newton led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015 and also won an MVP award. But once injuries caught up with him, his tenure wasn’t the same.
But once he got the call to go back following a year with the Patriots, it was a full circle moment.
“I think it was a Steve Drummond, a long time personnel (man) of the Panthers, you know, reached out to my father,” Newton said on 4th and 1. “It was like: ‘Is Cam interested?’ And I had said a couple of weeks before that … I was like my only regret is that (my partner) didn’t see me in Carolina. Because when we started really dating, I was in New England, she really couldn’t come to the games … That’s one of my biggest regrets too, not playing in New England with the actual fans because I’m such an energy person.”
At the peak of Newton’s powers, he led Carolina to a 15-1 record in 2015, won the MVP and had 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 636 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Although the Panthers fell short to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, it was the breakout fans were waiting for. It was the third straight year in the playoffs but Newton only got back in 2017.
While he put up solid numbers in 2018, Carolina went 6-8 when he started and then Newton only played two games in 2019. In 2020, his first and only year in New England, Newton went 7-8 as a starter but struggled statistically.
But that return to the Panthers was magical, even if only for a moment on the field.
“I had a dinner at my house just like some close friends and family. It was just like, what if you went back,” Newton said. “And like a week later, that call came and I was like yo, and boy we flew to Charlotte had a talk with you know Mr. Tepper and the GM at the time as well as you know Matt Rhule too.
“Just about you know, expectations, didn’t know the state of the team, but I knew my impact to the city. And walking out of that tunnel brom (it) was just so many emotions bro like everything went great that day except for the win.”
A legend at Auburn, Carolina transformed its franchise with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 to bring Newton to the team. Although he didn’t win it all, his impact remained.
“So much respect there man,” Newton said. “Still to this day like I always will have a place in my heart for Charlotte, North Carolina for the people just embracing me … I love Carolina. I love Charlotte and when you say Carolina you just can’t say North Carolina. This is the Carolinas. It was just such an impactful time in my life because even though we weren’t winning, it still felt good. You know, and I just hate that I never really brought a ring back to Carolina, but some things ain’t in the books to be written. Byt that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a time. A time was had.”
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