2020 the Carolina Panthers chased their former darling Cam Newton off the court with much fanfare after a war of roses. Now the 2015 MVP is making a sensational return. A deal with the ex that feels right for both sides.

Munich/Carolina – A love affair could hardly fall apart more quietly.

After nine mostly successful years together, quarterback Cam Newton’s time with the Carolina Panthers came to an undignified end in March 2020 with a war of roses via Instagram in which Newton accused the Panthers of lying.

Nearly 600 days later, there is no sign of the discord at the time: Cam Newton returns to his old love and celebrated this on his social media channels with an emotional “Coming home” video. Even if the Panthers hardly shed a tear for their quarterback at the time, the comeback could now be just the right step for both sides.

Cam Newton: Back in the race at all thanks to vaccination

For Newton himself, things could hardly have gone better. He wrote back when he parted ways with the Panthers that he would “love the team forever”. So now he’s returning to the old stomping grounds after a mixed 2020 season saw him shown the door by the New England Patriots this offseason.

“The main reason Cam Newton was cut is because he wasn’t vaccinated. If he was vaccinated, he would be the starter on game day,” journalist and former Patriots pro Ted Johnson tweeted at the time about the decision. One hurdle Newton has since cleared: He’s now fully vaccinated, allowing him to join the Panthers’ practice squad without delay.

Need for action after injury to Sam Darnold

That’s exactly what the franchise needs after starter Sam Darnold was diagnosed with a shoulder fracture. Darnold, who has been stumbling athletically of late, will have to miss four to six weeks.

The backups so far have not been very encouraging. P.J. Walker, who according to head coach Matt Rhule could start on game day 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, has shone in the XFL, but his numbers with the Panthers are scary: one touchdown is offset by five interceptions in seven appearances. Walker has completed only three of his 15 pass attempts this season. These are figures that Newton did not achieve even in his worst times.

The team did bring in 31-year-old Matt Barkley at the beginning of the week, an experienced quarterback from the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad. But with only seven starts in eight NFL seasons, Barkley wasn’t a true hope either.

Cam Newton: Mixed numbers, but fair contract

Yes, there are athletic doubts about Newton as well: his passing stats in the 2020 season with the Patriots were lacklustre, with eight touchdowns and ten interceptions. And after his long injury history, the now 32-year-old’s once greatest strength, mobility, is no longer as pronounced as it was in his MVP days.

Nevertheless, he still managed twelve rushing touchdowns in his 15 appearances for New England. So, athletically, a fit Newton can still be an upgrade over the other serviceable quarterbacks.

Finances didn’t stand in the way of Newton’s deal either. The quarterback played for the Patriots in 2020 at an economy price. The MVP of 2015 collected just over one million dollars in base salary with the Pats. Otherwise, the contract was strongly performance-based.

With the Panthers, Newton now collects up to ten million dollars for the rest of the season, 4.5 million of which are guaranteed, according to “NFL Network”. An improvement for him, but still a ridiculous price for a potential starting quarterback for the Panthers. They had the spare change anyway with over twelve million dollars in cap space available previously (source: Spotrac).

Panthers agree to terms with Cam Newtonhttps://t.co/NokOmrZ2ir

– Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 11, 2021

Panthers still in the race despite negative run

And: The Panthers are currently in last place in the NFC South. But despite the five losses from the past six games, there is still a lot to be gained from a sporting point of view. With their 4-5 record, the Panthers are currently trailing eight teams in the NFC. In their division, the New Orleans Saints (5-3) and the Atlanta Falcons (4-4) are still within striking distance – the Panthers have already won against both teams this season.

So the play-off chances are alive. It would have been all the more negligent to put them in the hands of a quarterback who has not yet been able to perform in the NFL, while at the same time a veteran like Newton with the experience of 139 NFL starts can be had as a free agent for relatively little money.

Panthers motif: Only trial and error makes perfect

What if Newton can’t take advantage of his opportunity and stop the Panthers’ downward trend? In the event of poor performances, Rhule could then still fall back on backup Walker. And if the playoffs really do become a distant prospect in the coming weeks, at least the Panthers wouldn’t have to blame themselves for not at least trying with the Newton deal.

In the worst case scenario, the Newton comeback for the Panthers will be one thing: a failure in style.