Quarterback Cam Newton opened up about mistakes he made in his career in an appearance on The Pivot Podcast.
The former Heisman Trophy winner spoke about his tenure with the Patriots in 2020 and his second stint with the Panthers in 2021, saying in both instances he put himself in bad situations.
“My own worst enemy will always be me, and I’m gonna keep it above: I done jumped into some f---ed up situations,” Newton said. “This ain’t no remorse, this ain’t ‘I want somebody to feel sorry for me.’ This is me acknowledging that, I understand, I’ll own up to jumping up into some f---ed up situations.”
Newton, who was drafted by Carolina in 2011, spent his entire career in a Panthers uniform until the team released him in 2020 after a string of injuries. He was picked up by the Patriots, who were Tom Brady-less for the first time in 20 years, but the former No. 1 pick was cut after one season.
“The New England experience was a f---cked up situation. I was still learning the offense seven to eight weeks into the season. … I’m learning systems mentally, as a quarterback, it’s not just … you can disguise that,” he said. “We’ve all been around teams where it’s like ‘Ready break. Hey, what do I got?’ As a quarterback, you have to look the part, act the part and be the part, right?”
He elaborated, adding that he spent countless hours with quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels trying to learn his new system. In his time with New England, the team went 7–9, with Newton contributing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions over 15 games.
“There was countless hours with so many different people trying to teach me certain things and it was just brain overload. There was times I was going to the line and I’m still thinking. I’m thinking about the enunciation of the play, I’m thinking about forgetting my motions. I’m thinking about my sight adjust. I’m thinking about certain things so that’s the f---ed up situation. Did I know it? Yes. To the degree that I needed to know it in order to show the world that I’m still Cam Newton? No, I didn’t. But I put myself in that situation.”
The 33-year-old then pointed to his 2021 season with the Panthers, who signed Newton in November after Sam Darnold sustained an injury in Week 9.
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“Now Carolina, I put myself in another f---ed up situation. I was signed on Thursday, I played on Sunday,” he said. “At what point did you think you was gonna be successful? That next week, I started. That’s still up under 10 days of you being on the team, and you’re still trying to learn an offense. This is not a receiver, this is not a safety, this is not a left tackle. This is a quarterback.
"So before I sit up here and allow the narrative to be made that Cam ain’t got it no more, Cam is taking full responsibility and saying that Cam put himself in a f---ed up situation.”
Newton made five starts in eight games with Carolina in 2021. He led the team to a Week 10 34–10 victory over the Cardinals, but the team would lose its final seven games of the season.
The Panthers have not closed the door on Cam Newton and are open to bringing him back for the 2022 season. Yet, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Newton will make the final call.
“I have teams that are interested in signing me,” Newton said in a text. “I am waiting on the best fit as it pertains to winning a championship and getting a fair chance to play.”
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