Cam Newton Reportedly Takes Shot At Carolina Panthers

The Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers divorce is reportedly getting a bit uglier. The now free agent quarterback shared a number of pictures and videos on his Instagram page earlier this week and one, in particular, is drawing quite a bit of attention.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports is reporting that one of the videos caught Newton talking about how he was treated.

“They gave up on me,” he can be heard declaring, with the assumption the “they” he is talking about is the Panthers.

This is hardly the first time Newton has taken a shot at his former team this offseason. When they announced they were going to allow the quarterback to look for a trade, they made it seem like it was a mutual decision between the front office and Newton, reached after many long discussions.

Not long after the announcement, however, the signal-caller made it clear it was not a mutual decision at all. He was quite angry the team made their separation public, thinking it might hinder any trade opportunities. His fears proved true, as Carolina wasn’t able to find a trade partner, instead outright releasing him.

One of the reasons he didn’t get much attention — according to insiders — is because teams are concerned he’s still hurt. In order to fend off those rumors, he got a physical to show he’s 100 percent healthy. If that’s true, it does raise the question as to why Carolina was so desperate to get rid of their long-time star.

Benjamin points out Newton has plenty of incentive to return to form in 2020. The problem for the former NFL MVP is the market for him is still quite unclear. The Los Angeles Chargers have been mentioned most often as one team that could eventually come calling.

At the moment, the Chargers starting quarterback is Tyrod Taylor, but the team’s moves this offseason have many analysts believing they’re looking to compete in 2020. Those same analysts don’t believe Taylor will get the job done.

Newton could go to Los Angeles and compete with Taylor, potentially winning the job eventually. The flip side, of course, is that the Chargers haven’t made any official offers to Newton yet.

MSN reports another team seems to be interested in Newton. A recent group of odds for the most likely team to land the former Panther put the Denver Broncos on top. That comes as a bit of a surprise, since Denver has publicly committed to Drew Lock as their QB1.

Whoever does end up with Newton is likely to get a field-general looking to prove the Panthers did indeed “give up” on him.