CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This fall will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Carolina Panthers’ second Super Bowl season, a magical run that featured a 14-0 start, rollicking sideline celebrations and an MVP award for Cam Newton, who was in the middle of everything.
The team has yet to announce plans for how or if it intends to honor the 2015 team and its players. Presumably there will be a reunion at a home game to give fans a chance to cheer for former coach Ron Rivera and star players like Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Greg Olsen, Jonathan Stewart and Ryan Kalil once again.
It’s not a given Newton would be there.
With regular appearances on ESPN’s “First Take,” as well as his own podcast, Newton has been heard from a lot lately. But the franchise’s only MVP winner has been seldom seen in Charlotte since his eight-game return to the Panthers in 2021 during his final NFL season.
Newton’s rift with the organization that drafted him No. 1 in 2011 became public in November after the Panthers’ trip to Germany. On his “4th & 1” pod, Newton said he was hurt team officials didn’t include him with other retired players like Kuechly, Davis, Stewart, Steve Smith Sr. and Julius Peppers, who made appearances at beer halls and elsewhere in Munich before the game against the New York Giants.
“Did it hurt my feelings? Yeah, it did,” Newton said in November. “As a man, I’m like, damn bro, I gave this city everything.”
Newton said on the same pod he has “no quarrel” with David Tepper, the hedge-fund billionaire who bought the team in 2018, or his wife Nicole, the Panthers’ chief administrative officer. But he also indicated he hasn’t been back in Bank of America Stadium in an official capacity since his playing career ended.
The Panthers say their “doors are open” to Newton, who has been invited to multiple team-sponsored events in recent years but did not attend, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
“Cam Newton has been and will continue to be welcomed by the Carolina Panthers,” a team spokesperson said in a statement issued to The Athletic. “Our doors are open, as they are to all team Legends.”
Ron Rivera and Cam Newton shake hands after the Commanders edged the Panthers in a November 2021 game at Bank of America Stadium. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
Attempts to reach Newton through ESPN, his agent, family members and other associates were unsuccessful. R.J. Mathis, a spokesperson for Newton, said in a statement: “Cam’s time with the Panthers was truly transformative, not just for him, but for the entire franchise and the city. His love for Charlotte and most importantly the Panther fans will always be a significant part of his story.”
On his Nov. 14 podcast, Newton said team officials have used a “b——- a– excuse like, ‘We don’t know if Cam retired or not,’ ” for keeping him at arm’s length.
“Me and that franchise, it’s simple. It takes two to tango,” he said. “I’ve reached out multiple times and did certain things. There’s so much familiarity there. How do they look at you? Do they look at you as an ambassador or do they just look at you as a former player? It’s a difference.”
Entering their 31st season of play, the Panthers are still considered a relatively young franchise. But they’re beginning to see several of their players receive Hall of Fame consideration. Peppers was enshrined in Canton last summer, while Kuechly and Smith were finalists this year.
Newton’s Hall of Fame chances will make for an interesting discussion when he’s eligible. But several of his former teammates say there’s no debating his place in the Panthers’ annals.
“Cam is the best player in Carolina Panthers’ history,” Roman Harper, who was teammates with Newton for two seasons, said. “You can talk about Julius Peppers. But quarterbacks — they move the needle, not defensive ends. And Cam’s been the best quarterback by far this organization drafted, developed and he became an NFL MVP.”
Jordan Gross, who was inducted in the Panthers’ Hall of Honor in 2019, echoed Harper.
“Cam is massively significant. We haven’t had a more dynamic player that was a freakin’ league MVP and the face of the league that year and the years surrounding it,” said Gross, a teammate of Newton for three seasons. “I think he needs to be celebrated. He’s a unique individual, that’s for sure. But a generational talent and incredible player.”
“I would hope that someday he would be in the Hall of Honor and all that stuff,” Gross added. “Because he was freakin’ incredible, man.”
As Gross alluded to, Newton arrived in Charlotte with a swagger and a big personality. Among the reasons the Panthers released Smith in 2014 was to allow Newton room to become the loudest voice in the offensive huddle.
Newton’s outspokenness has become more amplified as he’s transitioned into broadcasting. He raised eyebrows by saying on a recent “First Take” he wouldn’t trade his MVP award for a Super Bowl ring, and angered ex-teammates last month after telling Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado, he joined a “locker room of losers” after the Panthers drafted him first overall.
The 35-year-old Newton also took aim at the organization in November, which did not sit well with team officials. In addition to his comments about not being invited to Munich, Newton said there were no photos of him around Bank of America Stadium.
“You mean to tell me that one of the greatest Panthers to ever play ain’t up nowhere? Nowhere,” Newton said.
During a visit to the stadium two years ago while in town for a 7-on-7 tournament, Newton said his son wondered where his pictures were. Newton said a tour guide told him he’d find images of himself “all over the place” on the second and third levels.
“At this particular point and time, the question was, ‘Oh, we don’t know if Cam’s retired yet.’ News flash: I’m never gonna retire,” Newton said. “I know I’ve played my last piece of football. It don’t matter to me to officially retire. I’m in a happy place.”
Captain Munnerlyn, who played with Newton for five seasons, believes Newton is welcome at Panthers’ functions.
“I’ve been to some of those events where they’ve been like, ‘How can we get No. 1 back in the building? What do we need to do?’ They want him back around,” Munnerlyn said. “And this just ain’t regular people in the building. These are people who’ve got a say-so.”
Harper said he’s had similar conversations with people in the organization. He believes both sides need to be willing to swallow their pride, including Tepper.
“If he was to tell his people underneath him, ‘Hey, I don’t care what it takes, I want Cam here right now,’ how easy would that be?” Harper said. “Honestly. ‘I’ll take my plane, I’ll pick him up.’ Just do it. I don’t think it’s that hard. I don’t think these mountains are that hard to move if you really want to move them.”
But Rivera, hired as the Panthers’ head coach just a few months before Newton was drafted, said his former quarterback has to do his part to bridge the gap, as well.
“I’d love to see him get back into the Panther family. There was a point where he was such a huge part of the success that we had during that nine-year stretch. He deserves to be back,” Rivera said. “But he’s also gotta be willing to do the things and understand that it takes more than just showing up. He knows what he needs to do and I believe he’ll do it because I really do think he misses it.”
Asked to elaborate on Newton’s role in mending the strained relationship, Rivera said: “When you come to events and give back, plan to come early. Plan to do something special, do something different. That’s kind of my attitude, the way I like to present things. And really give back even more, so to speak.”
Newton isn’t the first NFL player whose relationship soured with his team after he retired.
Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson feuded with the Detroit Lions after they made him repay $1.6 million of his signing bonus after his retirement following the 2015 season. Eventually, the Lions agreed to pay Johnson for his appearances for the team, and the CBD company he founded with Lions teammate Rob Sims is now the official performance partner with Ford Field.
In September, Detroit inducted Johnson into the Pride of the Lions ring of honor at halftime of a Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks. In a perfect world, Newton’s rift with the Panthers would end with a similar celebration.
The Panthers’ Hall of Honor includes eight inductees, six of whom were honored in the seven years since Tepper bought the team from Jerry Richardson. Previously, the Panthers unofficially required a player to be retired for five seasons before he was eligible for the team’s hall.
But since Tepper took over as owner, the Panthers have implemented a three-year waiting period, according to a team spokesperson. While Newton said the Panthers have made his non-retirement a sticking point, the spokesperson said the team draws no distinction between a player having been retired versus having not played in the NFL for three years.
That means Newton, whose final snap came in a Week 18 loss at Tampa Bay in 2021, is eligible for the Hall of Honor this year. So are several other deserving members of the Super Bowl 50 team, including Kuechly, Olsen, Davis, Stewart and Kalil.
Cam Newton threw 186 touchdown passes with the Panthers and ran for another 63 in his 10 seasons with the team. (Jeremy Brevard / Imagn Images)
Newton’s candidacy should be an open-and-shut case. The Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 after passing for a rookie-record 4,051 yards, a mark Andrew Luck broke the following season. After 6-10 and 7-9 seasons to start his career, Newton helped lead the most successful stretch in franchise history with four playoff berths in a five-year span, including the appearance in Super Bowl 50 (a 24-10 loss to Denver).
Newton still owns 22 teams records, including all of the major career passing marks and the highest, single-game passing total in franchise history — 432 yards against Green Bay in his second game (after throwing for 422 yards in his debut). With his 75 rushing touchdowns and 32 career games with a passing and rushing TD (both NFL records), Newton redefined the quarterback position for Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and other dual-threat QBs who followed him.
“It’s a win-win for Tepper. It’s like a layup,” Harper said of resolving the issue with Newton.
In addition to his on-field accomplishments, Newton made his mark in the community in the Carolinas, hosting annual Thanksgiving and Christmas events to provide meals and holiday gifts to children in need. Newton also stages 7-on-7 tournaments, and — through his foundation — donated more than $5 million to schools, non-profit agencies in Charlotte and his hometown of Atlanta, according to an article from the Panthers’ website in 2020.
“For the Carolinas, I’m sure for the organization, the fan base, he’s going to go down as arguably the greatest face of the entire franchise history as far as the impact he made on the community and the profile that he put the Panthers on,” said Olsen, the popular Fox NFL analyst.
“So it’s in the best interest of the Panthers and the organization and obviously all the parties involved for there to be a very positive relationship between Cam and the organization. I think that’s what we all want, that’s what we would all hope for. And my gut is they’re adults, they can get in a room. They can kind of hash out and air out maybe some of the grievances. Maybe some of it’s real, maybe some of it’s misinterpreted and maybe not so much.”
Olsen joined Rivera as guests on Newton’s podcast last month on radio row at the Super Bowl in New Orleans. During a break in the taping, The Athletic’s Mike Jones observed Panthers president Kristi Coleman get the group’s attention before giving Newton a hug and talking to him for a couple of minutes.
Maybe the friendly encounter was nothing more than that. But maybe it was the start of a thaw that might eventually be capped with Newton being part of raucous reunion with Harper, Olsen and other members of the 2015 Super Bowl team at Bank of America Stadium this fall.
“Carolina needs to reach out and bridge the gap,” said Harper, a college football analyst for ESPN and the SEC Network.
“There’s no reason to tear down or burn down any more bridges to the best player in your organization’s history. Point, blank, period. Let it all go. And then we all can have fun together because that’s ultimately what all of us want.”
(Top photo: Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6227189/2025/03/27/cam-newton-panthers-rift-david-tepper/
