Un-Contacted for Two Years, Is Cam Newton Getting the Colin Kaepernick Treatment From the NFL?

Colin Kaepernick’s relationship with the NFL is a widely known tale. Even though not stated officially by Kaepernick himself, NFL officials reportedly ‘consider’ the free agent retired, as he has received no contract since 2017. Since the year, the NFL has just collectively blackballed the former 49ers QB. Now, Cam Newton, another player with a similar story to tell, has voiced out his concerns about being the next Colin Kaepernick.

Newton, a former Carolina Panthers player, is going through a phase many consider similar to Kaepernick. Being a Heisman Trophy winner in his college years, the Panther selected him as the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. Along with this, he was also crowned as one of the four African-American NFL players to win the NFL MVP award in 2015. So what went wrong? You may ask. So let me take you through the factors through which the problem possibly might have stemmed.

What happened with Colin Kaepernick?

Kaepernick currently pours his heart and soul into his social work for injustice against communities along with being a free agent. Which was also the reason he was tossed aside from the sport. If we look at it from his scores perspective, Kaepernick’s records speak volumes. The 2-time offensive player of the year had bagged a total of 10,000 plus yards during his tenure. Nothing less than commendable. However, soon enough his records started to decline.

Moreover, Kaepernick was just as vocal on-field about his passion for civil rights, evident from his kneeling in multiple games. However, his declining records, poor performance, and record of injuries were what ultimately led to him not getting any contracts. His long-time girlfriend Neesa Diab is also quite vocal about the NFL blackballing her man. As if almost history is repeating itself, Newton is in a very similar situation.

Cam Newton: stats and accolades

You might be able to gauge the excellent caliber of Newton upon learning he’s a Heisman Trophy winner. Newton’s college career was brimming with shining trophies like the Maxwell Award and Player of the Year. So was his professional football career until 2015. The QB led the Panthers to the best 15-1 score in the history of the franchise in 2015, the same year that garnered him the MVP award and Offensive Player of the Year, also the season when the team was en route to Super Bowl 50.

However, things tumbled downhill after 2015. After sustaining some major injuries, Newton’s brilliant record started losing its charm. The Panthers made only one appearance in the next four seasons. Due to this, he was released by Carolina the following year. However, the Patriots were quick to pick him up. But to no avail, as even they released him mid-season the next year. During his second suit with the Panthers in 2021, he racked up 684 yards and 4 touchdowns with five interceptions.

Reasons why teams are showing zero interest in Cam Newton

Since then, Newton has stayed as a free agent, mainly because no team is interested in offering him a contract. During his appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, he made a claiming statement about the same. “It doesn’t matter how many times you call if they don’t want you, they’re not going to pick up,” mentioned the host. However, hiring Newton would be nothing less than a nightmare for the teams, which they have arguable reasons for:

• The primary concern of the NFL teams is whether the QB is still able to throw a football professionally following his bizarre last couple of seasons. He underwent a major shoulder surgery due to his left shoulder rotator cuff being torn in 2019. The surgery not only left a huge wound on his body but also on his performance. The surgery was also one of the major reasons why the Patriots fired him as it severely hindered his ability to throw the ball. Moreover, during his time spent in the NFL, Newton also incurred several career-threatening injuries like fracturing his ribs.

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• Moreover, his accuracy also witnessed a sharp fall, which might again be credited to his injuries. In 2021, his QB rating stooped as low as 64.4. The QB losing all five of the Panthers games as a starter, with some of the worst accuracy he displayed in his professional career, became another prompt the Panthers used to dismiss him.
• Lastly, if any NFL team decides to take Newton in, the new wave will be created in the media, costing the team too much in the PR department. Not to mention the rage in fans after the ‘controversial’ comments of Newton on women. However, it is not just the comments, his fifth child with a different woman gives the media a lot to talk about, or rather ‘to throw shade on him’. Even his YouTube channel, where his old-school ideas are not appreciated by many. Hence, hardly any team would risk their reputation for such a PR nightmare.

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It’s safe to say the reasons to not hire Cam Newton are plenty. However, relying solely on them to waste talent like his seems quite unfair. Circling back to Kaepernick’s records, his PR issues as well as his injuries, and his blackballing, all seem too identical.

Newton is still interested in making a return

And just like Colin Kaepernick, Newton too, is waiting for his phone to ring to bring him some good news of a contract. The free agent has made his intentions of returning to the NFL pretty evident, especially after the Dan Patrick Show. Will the treatment that was first given to Kaepernick be any different from the one being given currently to Newton? Or will he end up just like Kaepernick? Only time will tell.

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