Cam Newton looked awful in a Monday Night Football loss to the Saints, and after a hot start Carolina has lost six straight. Barring a miracle, they’ll miss the playoffs for the second time in 3 years.
Colin has always said that Cam is a generational athlete, but at this point he’s too erratic to be counted on to consistently win games, has fallen apart in the second half of this season, and is seemingly always hurt. With any other quarterback, the Panthers would consider cutting their ties as soon as possible, but it’s not an option with Cam.
Much like Russell Westbrook in the NBA with Oklahoma City, Newton isn’t going to lead the Panthers to titles, but is the unquestioned face of the franchise and a small market rockstar with a die-hard fan following. Getting rid of either would lead to a backlash that neither franchise is willing to face.
The Panthers are now trapped with an overly expensive, inconsistent, oft-injured diminishing asset, and will be for the foreseeable future. It’s not going to get any better.