Panthers to meet with Cam Newton after Sam Darnold lands on IR

Cam Newton will have a chance to return to the Panthers. The again-QB-needy franchise will meet with the best passer in its history Thursday.

After having been off the radar for two months, Newton secured a Thursday meeting with Matt Rhule and David Tepper, according to the Charlotte Observer’s Jonathan Alexander. The Panthers just placed Sam Darnold on IR, moving P.J. Walker into the starting slot.

This would be quite the full-circle development for a Panthers regime that jettisoned Newton as one of its first orders of business in March 2020. Rhule made the move to release Newton, instead signing Teddy Bridgewater to a more lucrative deal. The Panthers cut bait on that contract a year later, sending Bridgewater to the Broncos and trading for Darnold. Carolina’s current quarterback leads the NFL in interceptions, with 11.

Newton struggled in his Patriots season and ended up being released, with the Pats going with first-rounder Mac Jones. Newton, 32, has battled extensive injury trouble since his dominant 2015 MVP season. Shoulder and foot injuries nagged Newton during his final years in Carolina. The former No. 1 overall pick missed 14 games in 2019, prompting the current Panthers regime to cut bait rather than sign on for a 10th season with Newton at the controls.

Jones was able to get a crucial leg up on Newton in August, with a COVID-19 testing issue sidelining New England’s 2020 starter for five days. The Pats moved on from him ahead of roster cutdown day, and the 10-year veteran went two months without being connected to a team as a free agent. Now vaccinated, Newton could rejoin the Panthers quickly and become an emergency solution for a reeling team.