Should Cam Newton follow Greg Olsen into retirement?
By Dean Jones
Should Cam Newton retire?
There is going to be another offer coming Cam Newton’s way in free agency. But it probably won’t be as a starter anywhere and this is something he might not be able to accept.
The Superman and All-Pro days of old are long gone.
So it might just come down to a personal desire to work from the bottom up for probably the first time in his career.
Newton has always been No. 1 – both in jersey number and status on a roster. Accepting a backup role would need some considerable adjustment wherever he ends up. But the prospect of the signal-caller just deciding to walk away with his head held high is a real one.
That’s not to say Newton doesn’t enjoy a challenge. One only has to look at how hard he worked to get in shape before and after the Carolina Panthers ruthlessly cut ties with the player in favor of moving forward with Teddy Bridgewater – which has clearly not gone as they’d anticipated – to see that.
Going from arguably the best dual-threat quarterback of a generation to a No. 2 option seems unfathomable, especially with a personality as big as Newton’s. He will also be 32-years-old by the time competitive action rolls around in 2021, which is relatively young for most players at the position but not for someone who has taken more physical punishment than most modern-era quarterbacks.
Newton doesn’t need the money. He’s made plenty of that.
But he would be wise not to let his competitive spirit tarnish his legacy.
NFL history is littered with players who went on too long and all you can remember is the faded veteran rather than what they brought to the game beforehand. Newton’s place in league and Panthers folklore is secure, so if he does decide to hang up his cleats then he can look back safe in the knowledge that he gave absolutely everything.