Cam Newton had an unusual 2021 season, with the Patriots surprisingly cutting him before the season, the Panthers surprisingly picking him up in the middle of the season, and sitting on the bench at the end of the season. If he’s going to be back for the 2022 season, he wants a better situation.
Newton said today that he still believes he can play and wants to keep playing, but he added that he would only do so in the right situation. He said he’d like to play for a team he thinks can win, and a team that can use him the right way. Newton believes he’s still a starter, but is willing to come back as a backup if it’s for the right team.
The 32-year-old Newton becomes a free agent in March, so he can shop himself around to every team, although given how long it took him to find another job after the Patriots cut him, it’s an open question whether there’s much interest in him around the NFL.
Newton may not be good enough anymore to be a starter, and he may not be the right fit to be any team’s backup. It’s possible that he won’t find the right situation, and that he has played his last game in the NFL.