Carolina Panthers: Kuechly confident Cam Newton can bounce back

Luke Kuechly had high praise for his old quarterback with the Carolina Panthers and is confident Cam Newton can return to his former glory.

Legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly has given a ringing endorsement to former Carolina Panthers’ teammate Cam Newton.

The recently retired player, who earned a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s, spoke highly of his old quarterback during a recent interview and outlined his confidence in the 2015 Most Valuable Player.

Newtown was released by the Panthers last month, a decision that has been vilified by members of the Carolina fanbase. This is not down to his performances on the field. But had more to do with the timing which has left the player short of starting options as his next move.

Kuechly used the example set by Ryan Tannehill as motivation for Newton. The Tennessee Titans gunslinger came in for Marcus Mariota last season and guided the team to the playoffs and a memorable victory at the New England Patriots in the wildcard round.

Many expected Tannehill to depart the franchise. Instead, the Titans rewarded the quarterback with a bumper four-year, $118 million deal that included a $20 million signing bonus and $91 million guaranteed.

Speaking to NBC Network’s Mike Tirico, Kuechly had this to say on his former quarterback.

"“I think Cam, he gets back to being healthy, he’s still a dangerous threat. You look at what he’s done in the past couple years, minus his injuries, he’s been fantastic for us. The thing that makes Cam special is what he can do inside the pocket but also what you can do with his legs.“To me, once he gets everything back healthy, he’s going be back to where he was before.“I think there’s a model that’s kind of in place right now with what Tannehill did in Tennessee, you come in as the backup and as a season progresses you get an opportunity.”"

On where Newton might end up, Kuechly named the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers as “in the conversation” when it comes to the next stage of the 2015 MVP’s career.