CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cam Newton had a question for reporters Friday as he drove past them in a golf cart to his first practice in his second stint with the Carolina Panthers.
“Did ya miss me?” the 32-year-old quarterback asked.
The huge smile on Newton’s face and his interview later made it obvious he had missed the Panthers after spending the past year and a half with the New England Patriots following his first nine NFL seasons at Carolina.
“Honestly, I’m still floating,” Newton said in his first comments after rejoining the team on Thursday.
Newton made it clear that any hard feelings there might have been when the Panthers released him after the 2019 season were irrelevant and that the only thing that matters now is “winning.”
“Were there disconnects in the past? It’s irrelevant,” Newton said. “The fact that we’re able to make what may seem a lot of wrongs or some wrongs right, that’s the most exciting thing about it.
“To hell with feelings. It would be the biggest right and wrong by just winning football games.”
Newton on Thursday signed a one-year deal worth up to $10 million for the remainder of the season, including $4.5 million guaranteed and a $1.5 million roster bonus.
“This ain’t for no ploy. This ain’t for no ticket sales. This ain’t for no Cinderella story,” Newton said. “It’s to win football games. That’s pretty much what’s on my heart, and that’s how I’m going about it.”
Newton made it clear the past was the past and has been since he began talking to coach Matt Rhule on Tuesday about a return to the team he led to the Super Bowl in 2015 under then-coach Ron Rivera.
“This wasn’t no apology, ‘Oh, we did you wrong, let’s bring you back,'” Newton said. “… It’s time to win. We’ve got a big game coming up. As far as that goes, it’s a must-win. That’s where all of our energy is.”
The Panthers (4-5), despite losing five of their past six games, are just out of a wild-card playoff spot in the NFC heading into Sunday’s game at Arizona.
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Source : espn
