Cam Newton says there's one NFL team he'd come out of retirement for
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton hasn’t graced an NFL field since his brief comeback stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2021, but that hasn’t stopped the former league MVP from showing interest in a return to playing on Sundays.
Newton said he had a lot of interest in a comeback in November of last year but had not received any calls from any of the league’s 32 teams, even participating in Auburn‘s Pro Day in March last year.
But Newton seems to have had a change of heart recently, with former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall asking him on ‘Good Morning Football’ Tuesday what the top three teams he’d want to play for would be. With Newton now revealing that only one NFL franchise would pique his interest at this point of his career.
“It’s not even three, it’s just really one,” Newton said. “Me having a family now, it’s always been about family, and I don’t see myself leaving Atlanta. So if it’s not Atlanta I don’t want to do it.”
Newton is an Atlanta native, playing his high school football at Westlake where he was a five-star prospect ranked the No. 13 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in the nation for the 2007 recruiting class according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Following a decorated college and professional career, Newton returned to Atlanta where he’s currently raising his four children. Newton also opened up a cigar bar and restaurant named Fellaship in the city and running a successful YouTube channel that currently boasts 1.22M subscribers where he hosts the ‘Funky Friday Podcast‘ and ‘4th & 1 with Cam Newton‘.
“But yeah, it’s one of those situations where it’s like man, I’ve really turned into a YouTuber slash full-time dad,” Newton said.
The Atlanta Falcons currently have a head coaching vacancy, firing Arthur Smith following three straight 7-10 seasons at the helm. And if the Falcons organization did give Newton a call, there’s a chance that he could be reuniting with former longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Belichick parted ways with the Patriots following 24 seasons with New England and has since interviewed for the Falcons’ head coaching job twice and been tabbed as their top candidate.
Newton spent the 2020 season with the Patriots under Belichick, starting 15 games for New England where he threw for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while also rushing for 592 yards and 10 scores. With a reunion with Belichick potentially in the cards if all of the stars align perfectly in ATL.