Cam Newton’s Ever-Present Comeback Story
Even when he achieved success Cam Newton has been treated like the underdog for his entire career but in New England, he may finally earn the respect that he deserves
Cam Newton had to prove he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL for the entire duration of his career.
Despite having a 60% completion percentage, 29,041 total career yards, 182 career touchdowns, 3x Pro Bowl, and winning MVP in 2015, he’s never mentioned in the same conversations as one of the better QBs in the NFL among the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or even Russell Wilson. It always seemed like Newton got the short end of the stick no matter what he did during his time with the Carolina Panthers. There were always questions about his commitment to the game, stepping up to be the leader, etc. Nothing he did ever garnered respect.
No one ever seemed to question the fact that Newton barely had any legit playmaking receivers during his time with the Panthers. He’s roughly played with 29 different receivers and none of them were exactly running up numbers. He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver in the last two seasons with the Panthers. The last “legit” receiver he had that was able to pull that off was freaking Kelvin Benjamin in 2014. Then there’s tight end Greg Olsen and his string of three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns, but Olsen was getting older and it was difficult to keep him on the field. Eventually, he left for the greener pastures with the Seattle Seahawks. Either way, Newton never really got the help he needed in Carolina.
So now — once again — he has to prove his worth to the NFL sports world. This time, he’s going to be coached by arguably the greatest coach in NFL history in Bill Belichick.
Netwon signed a one year deal with the New England Patriots in attempt to breath new life into his career and possibly have the backing of an organization that can actually give him some talent to win. Newton — known to be an extremely athletic QB — can provide mobility outside the pocket and make life easier for the Patriots’ receivers. Plus, he’s a whooping 6'5," 250lbs of muscle. “SuperCam” is practically a Gundam. So there’s no question that Newton should thrive in Belichick’s offense and keep opposing defenses on their toes.
Yet, despite all that, Newton is still not being viewed as a guaranteed success despite all the possibilities he could bring to the Patriots’ offense.
Details of Newton’s contract came into light thanks to report by Ian Rapoport for the NFL Network.
That’s a real low number and in many ways disrespectful to Newton who definitely deserves more.
Now there’s a good chance some of you may say that it’s because Newton is “injury prone” and that’s why the Patriots would rather not spend an exorbitant amount of money on a QB who isn’t always 100%. Yeah, let’s talk about the fact that Newton hasn’t had a stable starting line for the duration of his time with the Panthers. He hurt his foot when scrambling away from instant pressure in a preseason game he didn’t have to play. He’s basically had to shoulder the responsibilities and blames from the Panthers’ poor front office for years and nobody ever wanted to give him a break.
Let’s not forget that when Peyton Manning got his contract deal with the Denver Broncos after he was forced out by the Indianapolis Colts due to his neck injury, he was the most sought free agent and got a five-year contract worth $96 million.
So why can’t Newton get a guaranteed contract of that magnitude?
Newton stated that “This is not about money for me, it’s about respect.” Fine but despite all his career accomplishments and circumstances he had to deal with during his time with the Panthers, what more does he have to do before he finally earns that respect from the NFL?
Here’s hope to SuperCam finally earns that respect. Cue the anthem:
*additional information from NFL Network, Bleacher Report, Pro Football Reference, Boston Herald*
