Ron Rivera: Cam Newton's Return to Panthers 'Kind of a Cool Deal' Ahead of WFT Game

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said he's happy quarterback Cam Newton is getting a chance to reboot his career with the Carolina Panthers.

"I think it's an opportunity for him to go back home, pick up where he started off. It's kind of a cool deal," Rivera told reporters Wednesday.

Rivera and Newton spent nine years together in Carolina (2011-19), highlighted by a 15-1 season in 2015 that concluded with an appearance in Super Bowl 50 and the quarterback winning the NFL MVP Award.

The Panthers made the playoffs just once over the next four seasons, however, which led to widespread changes within the organization.

Rivera was fired late in the 2019 campaign, and Newton was released during the subsequent offseason before signing with the New England Patriots in free agency.

Washington quickly hired Rivera, who guided the team to an NFC East division title last season despite a lackluster 7-9 record. The team also lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.

Newton struggled as a passer with the Pats, tossing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 15 games, but remained effective on the ground with 12 rushing scores. He was released near the end of this year's preseason as New England decided to move forward with rookie Mac Jones as its starter.

The 32-year-old signal-caller remained a free agent until last week when he rejoined the Panthers following an injury to Sam Darnold. He accounted for two touchdowns (one passing and one rushing) in his first game back.

Now Rivera and Newton will reunite at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, though this time they'll be on opposite sidelines.

The WFT coach explained he's trying to treat the situation as a "business trip" despite still having a lot of friends in Carolina and the sudden storyline of Newton being back with the Panthers. He did take a little time to reminisce about their success together across nearly a decade:

"There are a lot of really cool moments. Everything from him being our first draft pick and the work that we put in to make him our first draft pick. You really know he's a good person. And that's the thing that I really respected was just deal with the type of young man he is, but really got the chance to see his family life, his home life. And that's something that I'll always remember. ..."

"The thing I always remember too is he hated to lose more than anybody I've ever been around. After the 2015 Super Bowl, you know, you don't realize, you know, that they called him a sore loser. Well, he is because he wants to win. I mean, that's who he is. I tried to deflect that just so people understand, the dude's going to give you everything he has, which he did. And unfortunately, we didn't win it."

It'll be all business once the opening kickoff takes place, as it's an important game for both Carolina (5-5) and Washington (3-6) as part of a wide-open NFC playoff race heading into the stretch run of the regular season.