CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has had a storied career with the team that drafted him first overall in the 2011 NFL draft from Auburn University.
Now “QB1” is on his way back to the team he took to Super Bowl 50 in 2016, after meeting with Panthers owner David Tepper and Steven Drummond, the vice president of football operations, and agreeing to a one-year deal on Thursday.
Newton’s time in Carolina, from 2011 to 2019, had ups and downs that included both debilitating injuries and record-breaking years and games. Among the highs and lows of his Panthers career:
— During the 2011 season, Newton made his NFL debut against the Arizona Cardinals and threw for 422 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. That season, he would go on to become the first rookie to throw for 4,000 yards. He ended the season with 4,051 passing yards.
— Newton made his first NFL playoff and Pro Bowl appearance in 2013. The Panthers lost in to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, but Newton threw for 3,379 passing yards, scored 24 touchdowns, had 13 interceptions, and ran for 585 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
— Injuries plagued Newton’s 2014 season, as the former Auburn Tiger dealt with ankle and rib injuries at the beginning of the year. On Dec. 9, 2014, Newton fractured two vertebrae in his lower back in a car crash near the intersection of Church and Hill streets in Charlotte. But he would only miss one game after the crash, and led the Panthers to their first playoff win in nine years as the team defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round. The team lost to the Seattle Seahawks 31–17 in the divisional round.
— In 2015, Newton had his MVP season and led the team to the Super Bowl, a stage the Panthers hadn’t played on since losing to the New England Patriots in 2004, when Jake Delhomme was quarterback. Newton and the Panthers finished the regular season 15-1, a franchise best, and he became the second African American quarterback to win the MVP award after Steve McNair in 2003. Though the Panthers would lose to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 in a 24-10 defeat, Newton arguably had his best year as a pro.
— In 2016, Newton surpassed San Francisco 49er great Steve Young’s record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. The Panthers ended the year 6-10 and Newton completed 52.9% of his passes, which was a career low.
— Newton had surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder in March 2017. He went on to finish the regular season with 3,302 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, six rushing touchdowns and a career-high 754 rushing yards. The Panthers’ season ended with the team losing to the New Orleans Saints 31-26 in a wild-card game.
— Newton dealt with a nagging shoulder injury much of the 2018 season, and the Panthers managed it throughout the year. He played 14 games before undergoing right shoulder surgery in January 2019. The Panthers finished the year 7-9.
— Newton’s final season in Carolina came in 2019 as injuries continued to bother the quarterback. Newton was held out of the week three game against the Arizona Cardinals because of an injury, and it was later revealed that he had a Lisfranc fracture in his foot. The injury healed slowly and the Panthers placed Newton on injury reserve. In March 2020, the Panthers and Tepper gave Newton permission to seek a trade, but the team couldn’t find a partner. Newton was released on March 24, 2020, ending his time in Carolina.
Newton would go on to play almost two seasons with the New England Patriots before getting released in August. But with Panthers’ quarterback Sam Darnold projected to miss four to six weeks with a shoulder injury, he’s now on his way back to where his career began.
