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Cam Newton's tenure with the Carolina Panthers is coming to an end.
On Tuesday morning, the Panthers announced that they have given Cam Newton permission to seek a trade, all but ensuing that the quarterback will be playing his football elsewhere in 2020.
Newton has spent the first nine years of his NFL career in Carolina after being drafted first overall by the club back in 2011. During that time, he made three Pro Bowls, earned a First-Team All-Pro selection, won a league MVP award and took the Panthers to a Super Bowl during the 2015-16 campaign.
Carolina ended up falling to the Denver Broncos, and Cam Newton did not exactly play all that well in the loss, but hey; Newton still got to a Super Bowl, which is something many other good quarterbacks can't say (take Philip Rivers, for example).
That begs the question: what is Newton's lasting legacy in Carolina?
Well, over the past few years, there is no doubt that Newton's reputation has taken a hit.
Since his MVP season in 2015, the soon-to-be-31-year-old has not even looked like the same guy, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that he has had a couple of shoulder surgeries since the end of 2016. He also underwent a foot procedure earlier this offseason to repair an issue that limited him to just two games in 2019.
But even when Newton was “healthy” (and I use that term loosely) over the past several seasons, he was underwhelming, at best. He still struggled to hit open receivers, and whether or not he actually elevated his team was questionable (let's remember that Newton has lost eight straight starts dating back to 2018 and that the club seemed to perform better with Kyle Allen).
As a result, Newton leaves behind a rather complicated legacy.
Yes, he is incredibly talented. Yes, he experienced moderate success in his early years. And yes, he has a million dollar smile.
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But Cam Newton was regularly criticized for his questionable maturity and leadership abilities, and even some Panthers fans began to turn on him over the last few years due to his inability to consistently stay on the field and perform.
Of course, injuries are not Newton's fault, but that didn't stop people from getting frustrated.
Realistically, Newton will always be looked at as just an average passer. During his time in Carolina, he completed just 59.8 percent of his throws, and outside of 2015, he was never really dominant at any other point.
Was he exciting? Absolutely, especially in his younger years when he would get out of the pocket more and either make plays on the run or steamroll defenders on scrambles.
But there is only so far that excitement and pizzazz can take you, and Newton has found that out the hard way.
It also needs to be said that Newton's limited success over the course of his entire nine-year tenure with the Panthers is certainly not all on his shoulders, as the front office could have done a better job of supplying him with the appropriate talent.
However, except for that one year in 2015, Cam Newton was never looked at as a truly elite quarterback in Carolina, and unfortunately, that will play a rather significant role in determining how he will be remember for his time with the Panthers.
