“My issue is that when I was the first pick, I went into a locker room of losers,” Panthers veteran legend Cam Newton ranted in April. He was contentious after going down 6-10 in his rookie season. But what he didn’t know were the players who were set to arrive next year. They chose Luke Keuchly in the first round of the 2012 Draft. He was the first linebacker selected. Fast forward to 2025, if anyone has the right to call out greatness in the franchise, it’s Kuechly.

After all, he was the Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in his second year. Together, the QB-LB duo marched into the 2015 Super Bowl, losing to the Broncos. Charlotte still remembers it like yesterday. But, amid all the hype and legacy talk, people forget to highlight QB’s qualities, which made him a legend. During the July 14 episode of the Up & Adams Show, Kuechly just completed that chapter.

He started with what defined the soul of those Panthers teams – Newton’s toughness, accountability, and relentless competitiveness. Kuechly laid it bare. “Cam was ultra-competitive with everything, shooting baskets at practice, being the first guy in.” That intensity became infectious. Kuechly, the quiet warrior, saw how Cam set the tone without needing to lecture. “He didn’t always need to say things,” Luke said. “You just watched him.” It’s the kind of presence that defines a franchise’s DNA. And for years in Carolina, it did.

But what stunned the LB even more? Cam Newton wasn’t a blamer. “I don’t think I ever saw Cam yell at somebody, or call someone out negatively,” Kuechly said. That’s rare, especially in the NFL, where tempers fly and QBs often get a pass or point fingers. “I’ll get it,” he’d say. If he missed a throw, his first instinct was humility, “What can I do better?” He owned it, even when he didn’t have to. That shaped the culture in a deeper way than any playbook ever could.

And then there was the toughness. Cam wasn’t just flashy or physical; he was brutal. Defenders bounced off him like DBs hitting a tight end. Kuechly painted the picture perfectly, “You’d watch him get hit and get back up… run through defenders to get first downs… and then do dances and flex.” It wasn’t for show. It was a declaration,  toughness is the cost of doing business here.

“Toughness for us wasn’t negotiable,” Luke said. And when your quarterback, your leader, runs through a linebacker’s face on 3rd-and-2, it sends a message to the entire team. That mindset defined the Panthers from the inside out. They weren’t just tough, they were fearless.

Moreover, Cam never demanded loyalty. He inspired it. “This is our quarterback. This is what he wants. We’re going to do the same thing he’s doing,” Kuechly said. It wasn’t hype. It was a habit. Carolina lived it from 2011 to 2019. Players rallied around Cam Newton not because he was perfect, but because he wasn’t, and yet he still carried the team on his back.

Cam Newton is satisfied with his legacy

Cam Newton has heard the question a thousand times, Would you give up your 2015 MVP for a Super Bowl ring? Most quarterbacks would hesitate. Some might play it safe. Not Cam Newton. On ESPN’s First Take in January this year, he didn’t blink, “No.” It’s the kind of answer that sets sports radio on fire. But the MVP wasn’t trolling.

He was speaking from a place of legacy, not longing. “What’s more important, impact or championships?” he asked, before dropping names that made his case. “Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl.” Cam’s point is clear: rings don’t define greatness. Impact does. And his impact on football, especially at the quarterback position, is undeniable.

Let the stats do the talking. In 2015, Newton threw for 35 touchdowns, rushed for 10 more, and racked up 4,473 total yards, all while leading Carolina to a 15–1 record and a trip to Super Bowl 50. That season, he became the first Black quarterback to win MVP outright.

Over his career, he set the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (75) and tallied 32,382 passing yards and 5,628 rushing yards. Those aren’t just numbers, they’re evidence of a prototype. Before Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts ever stiff-armed a linebacker, Cam was the blueprint.

And if you ask former teammates like Luke Kuechly, that greatness wasn’t just in the box score, it was in the locker room. And Cam Newton knows his legacy isn’t wrapped in jewelry, it’s stitched into the fabric of how the game evolved. He didn’t just change the way quarterbacks played. He changed what people expected them to be. “I’m taking individual success,” Cam said. “Because I did my job.” And if doing your job means revolutionizing an entire position, then yeah, no ring necessary.