Luke Kuechly Says Cam Newton Has 'Chip on His Shoulder' After Panthers Release

Luke Kuechly stated the obvious about Cam Newton during a SiriusXM NFL appearance Monday:

Kuechly and Newton were teammates on the Carolina Panthers from 2012 through last season. The 28-year-old former All-Pro linebacker announced his retirement in January, and the Panthers released Newton on March 24.

The 2011 first overall pick remains unsigned.

"You know, what Cam brought to this team and this city and this organization is unmeasurable," Kuechly said. "His effort and his ability to play through things. His toughness and just the energy that he brought to that stadium when he was playing, it's second to none. He's the ultimate competitor."

Newton played through shoulder injuries in 2016 and '18. He underwent separate shoulder surgeries in March 2017 and January 2019. However, the former All-Pro was unable to play through a Lisfranc injury suffered during the 2019 preseason. He was limited to two games last season and underwent surgery in December.

Kuechly noted that what he believes separates Newton is that he never complained and wouldn't "throw a guy under the bus or get mad at anybody."

To that point, Newton was publicly upset about how his tenure in Carolina ended. The 2015 NFL MVP disputed that he asked for the Panthers to grant him permission to seek a trade one week before the team ultimately released him:

As far as having a chip on his shoulder, Newton hinted at that earlier this month:

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on April 9 that Newton is willing to wait for a starting opportunity to open up:

"There simply aren't a lot of starting jobs available," Fowler said. "So if he has to wait until after the draft or maybe somebody gets injured, he is willing to do that. He knows the Patriots maybe are one of those teams that could be looking. He doesn't know what they're gonna do obviously just yet. They haven't played their hand."

When healthy, Newton was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league. The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner departed the Panthers as the franchise's all-time leader in career passing yards (29,041), career passing touchdowns (182) and career wins (68-55-1).

Carolina came short of further cementing Newton's legacy by losing 24-10 to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 after going 15-1 in 2015.