3 scenarios where Cam Newton could still sign with Panthers in 2022

Even though the Carolina Panthers acquired Baker Mayfield, could there be a scenario where Cam Newton is brought back for another go-around in 2022?

When the Carolina Panthers traded for former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, it seemed decided Cam Newton wouldn’t be returning for the 2022 campaign.

Despite a terrible first season with the franchise, Sam Darnold was the incumbent starter and will now compete with Mayfield to start for the Panthers in Week 1 against the Browns at Bank of America Stadium.

It would be surprising to see anyone other than Mayfield start. With even a mildly productive quarterback down the stretch, the Panthers could have been wildcard contenders and kept their team relevant in 2021.

Instead, Darnold seemed to regress each week and the offense was left searching for an upgrade this spring. Newton is beloved in Carolina but there is no hiding his performance last season, even though it was an extremely difficult situation for the Auburn product.

Expected to come in and revitalize the offense, Newton struggled overall and was eventually benched in favor of Darnold. Part of the responsibility for the failures belongs to the Carolina coaching staff when one considers the in-season adjustments they couldn’t make effectively.

They attempted to bring a mobile quarterback into the mix mid-season and throw Newton into the fire instead of allowing him plenty of time to learn the offense or allowing him to run a more familiar system.

Regardless of the reasoning for the failure, things look bleak for another Newton return to Carolina despite the pleas from certain sections of the fanbase who will idolize the 2015 NFL MVP until the end of time.

While his starting days might be behind him, here are three potential scenarios where Newton could end up re-signing with the Panthers in 2022.