'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Cam Newton, a former NFL MVP and first overall pick, may not be the quality starter he was a few years ago. But he could certainly be one of the league's more valuable backups.
Despite that, he remains unsigned just a week away from the NFL's opening Sunday. There was very little attention given to the former Carolina Panther this offseason.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes there are reasons for that, and it's not exactly that he's not able to play anymore:
"Then there's the fact that, yes, Newton as a huge personality. It would be difficult, and delicate, for Newton to be on a depth chart as anything but the starter. Plenty of guys now in the NFL grew up rooting for Newton. They’d want to play with him. Thus, he’d need to play for a team with an established starter. That’s not what Newton wants to do. He wants to play."
No former NFL MVP would ever likely admit that they couldn't start somewhere, so it's no surprise that the quarterback maintains his belief that he could start. But that might be adversely affecting him:
"Newton has done nothing to alienate any of the league’s teams. He simply has a persona that is too big to let him be a backup, if he’d even want that role. His belief that he’s good enough to start suggests that he doesn’t."
Newton didn't get much attention, but doesn't seem to be too bothered by it at this point.
Why is a former NFL MVP like Cam Newton not employed?
Florio's belief is not without validity. Cam Newton has always had one of the biggest personalities in the NFL. It's something that has set him apart from other players.
It's also what likely hinders teams from adding him as a backup. That may be why New England cut him rather than opting to keep him as a cheap and useful backup for then-rookie Mac Jones.
However, there's a reason a player who once dragged a team to 15-1 and a Super Bowl appearance with Ted Ginn and Devin Funchess as his top targets can't get a job: his health.
During his tenure with the Panthers, they routinely ignored the offensive line, opting to let Newton's evasive abilities and sheer size and strength offset the holes there.
That worked for a while, but it ultimately led to the quarterback's body breaking down. He took more hits than any quarterback during his time and it wasn't particularly close.
His shoulder took a huge hit from TJ Watt and it was never the same. He suffered a Lisfranc injury on a sack that ultimately ended his time with the Panthers in the first go around.
Simply put, Cam Newton is where he is today because his body could not exactly withstand everything the Panthers asked it to. It's an issue that has plagued Panthers quarterbacks since Newton, leading to injuries for several guys.
