Matt Rhule has a huge decision to make after becoming the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. What should he do regarding starting quarterback Cam Newton?
The Carolina Panthers join the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys as the third team to hire its next head coach this offseason.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel reported Tuesday morning former Baylor Bears head coach Matt Rhule will be the next head coach in Charlotte. He looks to rebuild a lost culture in Carolina. The question is if starting quarterback Cam Newton will be a part of it.
Newton has spent his entire nine-year NFL career as a member of the Panthers. The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn led the Panthers to three straight NFC South titles from 2013-15, including a 15-1 MVP campaign by him, resulting in Carolina’s second trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history. However, injuries and inconsistency have led us to this point.
Newton only played two games for a 5-11 Panthers team in 2019. Had Carolina gone with an NFL coach to replace Ron Rivera, it’d be a more visible pathway for Newton to be part of this next era of Carolina football. Newton could still be back with the Panthers, but one has to believe with Rhule now in the building that Carolina will move on from its former MVP.
Carolina isn’t expected to win the Super Bowl in 2020. TThe Panthers are playing the long game with this Rhule hiring. At both Temple and Baylor, Rhule built slowly before getting to conference title games. In the NFL, Rhule is now working under an enormous seven-year, $70 million deal. Owner David Tepper is giving him the power of time.
With the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming draft, Rhule might be tempted to get his own franchise quarterback. It’s unlikely Joe Burrow is there, but could Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa be the right option? The Panthers can always attempt to move up if they feel they must.
Carolina could also opt for a stop-gap starter in the short-term, landing a guy like Teddy Bridgewater or Andy Dalton for 2020. Carolina could use that No. 7 pick to upgrade elsewhere, creating a stronger foundation for when the next long-term quarterback does come to town.
The 2021 NFL Draft has two blue-chip signal-callers primed to go in the top-five in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Both could thrive playing for Rhule in Carolina and the Panthers fanbase would be ecstatic about landing either.
Ultimately, Tepper opted to go with Rhule as his next head coach could well means it’s over for Newton in Charlotte.
Newton may want to stay, and he might even buy into Rhule as his next head coach. However, the final chapter on Cam in Carolina may have already been written.