Carolina Panthers: Is Sticking With Cam Newton the Right Move

It seems as far back as we can remember, Cam Newton has been the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. Truth is, Newton has only been their quarterback since 2011 but already seems like the face of the franchise and all-time greats. Despite his successes, his injury concerns had the team considering moving on from the franchise quarterback. Now it seems the idea has cooled, and they appear to be sticking it out but is that the right move?

From the Panthers’ perspective, they’ll need a franchise quarterback to replace Cam. This year’s draft is deep at quarterback and has plenty of talent. Luckily for Carolina they draft 7th and despite teams trying to move up, there aren’t enough teams ahead of them to push them out of the quarterback position. But by bringing Newton back for another season, they can take that first round pick and use it towards better positions of need. Cam Newton is only 30 years old, but being a mobile quarterback his body has taken the abuse of a closer to 35-year old qb. Guys like Tom Brady and Drew Brees have extended their careers into their 40’s by being pocket passers, so the question the Panthers have to ask themselves is how much longer can they afford to stick it out?

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Now as for Cam Newton, should he pushed the issue and tried to work on a deal to move on? The Panthers are in a transitional phase of their franchise, firing head coach Ron Rivera and bringing in Matt Rhule. Rarely are teams competitive in their first year under a new head coach and they’ll be lucky to push a playoff in year two. Newton has only been to the Super Bowl once in a losing effort. More often than not, new coaches, who inherit a quarterback who’s never won a championship, rarely roll the dice on keeping them around. Most new coaches want a guy who fit their scheme that they can mold their offense around. Mutually, both sides should part ways, in favor of Cam getting another shot with a team that can be competitive.

No matter the decision, the Carolina Panthers need to find a way to get the franchise back to the Super Bowl. If they feel Cam Newton can get them there, keeping him around is the smart move. If he’s not the guy, this is a stall tactic that sets the franchise at least two years behind.