Newton's breakout MVP and NFC Championship-winning season was one NFL fans could certainly see coming. He continued to perform well for the Panthers, leading them to a 7-9 record in 2012, a 12-4 season in 2013 before a brief stumble in 2015 at 5-8-1. The season earned him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He burst onto the scene in his rookie year, starting all 16 games and passing for 4,051 yards with 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, while rushing 126 times for 14 touchdowns and 706 yards. To further understand what led to the separation, it's worth looking back at his time in Charlotte since he was drafted first overall in 2011. Anytime you look back on things you always say I wish I could have done this a little differently but there was nothing but good feelings in that conversation.' 'At the time, we weren't sure if he was healthy. There wasn't anything but an amicable conversation,' Rhule said, according to All Panthers. He understands that these are football decisions and football-based evaluations that you have to make. We had to kind of make a decision at the time and Cam understands that. We made a football decision at the time based on his health. 'I won't go into specifics of our conversation but Cam Newton is a pro. When the Panthers brought Newton back, head coach Matt Rhule was open about the decision to cut the longtime franchise quarterback in 2020. MORE: Cam Newton's return to Panthers spiking ticket prices ahead of Washington clashĪs Newton prepares to make his first start back in Carolina since 2019, Sporting News is taking a look back at his release. Which all of course begs the question: why was he released in the first place? He was the only NFL MVP in franchise history, and when he left Carolina, he was the franchise leader in passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and passing yards. Newton took them to the playoffs four times, including a Super Bowl, single-handedly doubling the amount of NFC Championships and playoff appearances the franchise had. Not once while Newton was the quarterback did the offense score fewer than 330 points in a season - the Panthers scored more than 330 just once in the previous five seasons. Coming in on the heels of a 2-14 campaign, where Carolina was outscored by 212 points by opponents, the new Newton-led offense looked different. He was the franchise's first-ever first overall pick, and he immediately turned the Panthers' organization around. By all accounts, Cam Newton is the largest figure in Panthers' franchise history.

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