After the 32-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 season, veteran quarterback Cam Newton said that football had been good to him so far. When a reporter asked him if this was his goodbye, he said, “Nah, it don’t feel like that.” But since then, Newton has never played a football game. And weirdly enough, the talented QB never announced his retirement.

He explained his reasoning on said on his show, 4th&1, five years later.

“I’m okay with putting that person on the shelf,” he said. “I’ve brought closure to that in my life. …It was crazy to think that the last time I even put on shoulder pads, I felt like, ‘Is this my last time?’ And I’m viewing a game on the sideline like, ‘Yeah. Yeah, it’s over with.’ I knew. But I also knew that if the right opportunity presented itself, it may not be. 

“But a lot of times players be delusional or have a hard time with putting that version of themselves on the shelf. So for me, I still miss football.”

Cam Newton once explained in his podcast that it “doesn’t matter” to him about whether he’s officially retired or not. But he admitted that he’s played his last snap in the NFL, and was in a “happy place.” The last game Newton played was the Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers game in 2021. He played only eight games that year.

Interestingly, a spokesman for the Panthers told The Athletic in 2025 that the “doors are open” for Newton, “as they are to all team Legends.”

Newton’s 2015 season is a big reason why people still talk about him, as he took his team to the playoffs. They barely held off the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round. But in the NFC Championship, they crushed the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 and punched their ticket to Super Bowl 50.

Newton became the only player in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdown passes and rush for 10 more in the same year, and the first quarterback ever to hit double-digit rushing touchdowns in multiple seasons, doing it in both 2011 and 2015. Newton was the NFL MVP of this season.

Cam Newton gave 10 years of his life to the Carolina Panthers. He is a big reason why the team was a competitor in his good years. The quarterback had thrown for more than 3,000 yards in eight of those seasons.

Today, even though he doesn’t get to play football, Cam Newton is very busy in his media career. In October 2024, he was hired by ESPN as a commentator, becoming a regular face on First Take. The relationship was further strengthened in August 2025 when he signed a new multi-year contract with ESPN, increasing his presence on the show. And, his podcast is also a big hit.

However, there is still a chance of Newton surprising us with a return.

4th&1 was discussing the idea of him returning to football after Phillip Rivers had been signed by the Indianapolis Colts. Newton said it was like a “slap in [his] face,” and later reminded the audience that he is still working out regularly.

Perhaps, if the right team comes knocking, the veteran quarterback might be inclined to put pen to paper.