In 2015, former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton won NFL MVP and led his team to the Super Bowl. It appeared Newton and the Panthers had next in the NFC.
Instead, the Panthers dealt with injuries and departures on the offensive line, with Newton often playing hurt behind a weak front. Things bottomed out in 2019, when Newton made two starts before suffering a Lisfranc injury. He was released this past spring.
Former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera–now head coach of the Washington Football Team–wonders what might have been healthy had Carolina protected its investment in Cam:
“I do. I honestly do,” Rivera said, via Alaina Getzenberg of the Charlotte Observer. “He’s the kind of guy that when he was healthy and things were rolling, man, the momentum would build.
“In 2016, when [Newton] got hurt, we got a little bit back in 2017. We had an early start in 2018, but then the injuries just took a toll. And so I always wonder, just what would have happened? But that’s the nature of this game.”
Newton often gave Panthers fans glimpses even after the MVP season. As Rivera mentioned, he led the Panthers to an 11-5 mark in 2017, rushing for a career-high 754 yards in the process.
The following season began even more auspiciously. Carolina raced out to a 6-2 start, with Newton throwing for 15 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions. But the Panthers lost each of their next six starts with Cam under center, and he was eventually sidelined with a shoulder injury. One foot injury later, and his time in Carolina was over.
Rivera and Newton have now gone their separate ways. “Riverboat Ron” has Washington in the playoff hunt atop the NFC East, while Newton's play in New England has only sparked more questions about his future outlook.
Regardless, Rivera will always wonder what might have been in Carolina.
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