Cam Newton Release Was 'One of the Most Difficult' Decisions, Says Panthers GM

The Carolina Panthers released 2011 top overall pick Cam Newton on March 24, but the decision to part ways with the 30-year-old quarterback did not come easily.

"This was probably one of the most difficult [decisions]," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney told reporters on a Monday conference call. "I drafted Cam."

Hurney offered more context (h/t the Charlotte Observer's Alaina Getzenberg):

"We put a lot of time, thought, communication into every decision we make. As soon as we make those decisions, we act on them. So, as soon as we (decided to move on from Newton), I called Cam's representatives and told them that we were going to start calling teams about seeing if there was trade interest in Cam.

"Once, you know, we spent time doing that, and seeing that teams were interested and we got to a point where we thought that it's really, you know, it didn't seem like we were going to be able to make a trade in the near future and we thought that it was in the best interest for everybody to release him."

The Panthers announced on March 17 that Newton had permission to seek a trade:

But Newton said he never asked to be moved:

The writing was on the wall when owner David Tepper did not show the same commitment as Newton:

Newton suffered a Lisfranc injury in his left foot during the 2019 preseason, which limited him to two regular-season games and led to a December surgery. Prior to that, the 2015 AP NFL MVP's health was a concern as it pertained to his throwing shoulder, with two separate surgeries in March 2017 and January 2019.

When healthy, the Auburn product has been dominant. He departed Carolina as the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards (29,041), passing touchdowns (182) and wins (68). He is also first on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns (58) and third for rushing yards (4,806)—the only Panthers quarterback to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground.

Yet, Newton remains unsigned. He addressed the uncertainty on Instagram Live with Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Chris Paul on Monday:

The Panthers are moving forward at quarterback with Teddy Bridgewater, who agreed to a three-year deal on March 17. The 27-year-old was officially signed on March 25.