“Superman” Returns
posted by Jacqueline Leibman | November 23, 2021 | In News, SportsNFL quarterback Cam Newton, returns to the Carolina Panthers after QB Sam Darnold went out for four to six weeks with a shoulder injury.
Quarterback Cam Newton, the 2011 draft number 1 overall pick, returns to the Panthers after signing a one-year contract. Newton led the Panthers to Superbowl 50 and earned the 2015 NFL MVP award.
Newton’s homecoming includes a deal worth up to $10 million for the remainder of the season, along with $4.5 million guaranteed and a $1.5 million roster bonus.
Newton was originally released from the Panthers following the 2019 season. His performance over his nine-season career with the Panthers began to decline as he suffered numerous shoulder and foot injuries.
In Newton’s first game back, Panthers QB P.J. Walker started the Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals. At 11:12 in the first quarter, Newton finished off their short opening drive by scoring a two-yard rushing touchdown, leading to his signature “superman” celebration.
Overall, Newton was able to touch the ball 7 times: 4 passes and 3 carries, including two touchdowns—one passing and one rushing. The Panthers won the game 34-10, which ties up their season so far with 5 wins and 5 losses.
Coach Matt Rhule announced on Friday, Newton will officially start in Week 11 against Washington, hopefully leading them to a second-straight win.
“He’s really done a nice job learning the game plan for this week,” Rhule explained, according to Yahoo News. “It’s obviously a lot to learn. There’s some parts that obviously he probably has a better grasp of than others.” Rhule went on to commend Newton stating “He’s really, really a smart player, really a smart quarterback, and it seems like he’s in a good place right now.
Newton has been recognized both on and off the field. As a first-time nominee, he won the Nationwide Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2020, winning $25,000 for the charity of his choice. In 2012, he established the Cam Newton Foundation which, according to a Panthers press release, is based on three pillars of focus: “EVERY 1 PLAYS, EVERY 1 GIVES, and EVERY 1 LEARNS. Foundation service includes youth activity, mentoring high school players, donations and community outreach, and diversity and societal education. The three pillars support the foundation’s guiding principle, EVERY 1 Matters. The number 1 is significant to Newton as it is his chosen jersey number.
In the meantime, the Panthers’ original starting QB Darnold has been placed on the injured reserve list and is expected to miss at least four weeks. He sustained an incomplete fracture of his right shoulder blade, believed to have occurred during the second quarter of the 26-4 loss to the New England Patriots.
One week earlier, Darnold suffered a concussion with 6:58 remaining in the Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons. While the Panthers won the game 19-13, Darnold was put on concussion protocol before facing off against the Patriots.
After a three-game winning streak in the beginning of the season, and with 11 interceptions overall, Darnold’s optimistic start for the Panthers has begun to diminish. He has not recorded a touchdown since Week 6. The Panther’s acquisition of Cam Newton is strategic, but we will have to wait to the end of the season to see if their decision will get them into the playoffs.
“God is real, that’s facts, and I’m just a vessel of Him and He’s working in on my life.” Newton told FOX Sports’ Sara Walsh after the game against the Cardinals. “And I’m just happy to be back, I’m just happy to be a contributor to a team that’s already good, we’re just trying to get over the hump. It’s good to be .500 and we got our work cut out for us.”