It’s been an extraordinarily busy week for the Carolina Panthers. Yesterday, it was reported the team hired a new offensive coordinator in LSU’s Joe Brady, who just helped Joe Burrow to a Heisman win. The bigger headline came late in the day, when linebacker Luke Kuechly made a sudden and shocking retirement announcement.
Those two developments will have a significant impact on the future of the franchise. That includes what happens with starting quarterback Cam Newton, who we haven’t heard from in a while. It was lost in the shuffle of Tuesday’s blitz of news, but Newton surfaced on Twitter to thank fans for winning him a charity challenge.
Newton is the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for 2019. The WPMOY will be announced the evening before the Super Bowl. For now, Newton received the most mentions in a social media contest, winning a $25,000 award for his foundation.
We don’t know how Tuesday’s news will affect Newton’s future yet. Kuechly was the foundation of the defense, though and with a new offensive play-caller coming in, it’s not difficult to imagine that the team might want to start over with a younger QB.
For now, Cam remains the best on the roster.
