NFL hot seat: 5 quarterbacks who will be under pressure in 2019
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Instead of the obvious teams looking for changes under center, one has to figure other teams under some serious pressure and/or in danger of a total shakeup.
San Francisco 49ers
The Carolina Panthers are a perfect example, particularly after going 1-7 in the latter half of 2018 and watching their playoff aspirations vanish in front of their eyes. And while that complete drop off wasn’t entire quarterback Cam Newton‘s fault, he’ll be under pressure to resume the role of team and possible league MVP this season.
Newton enjoyed a bit of a resurgence last season, completing a career-high 67.9 percent of his passes, while getting nearly a 14-point increase over his 2017 passer rating of 80.7. That said, those improvements took a nasty hit in December last year, where his passer rating was a lowly 63.7.
There’s more factoring in this, too. Newton is signed through 2020, yes. But if 2019 winds up being a total wash, the Panthers could feasibly part ways with the quarterback after this year and save over $19 million in cap space with just $2 million in dead money.
If Carolina is heading to a complete team shakeup, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Newton wind up a part of wholesale changes. Especially if he struggles.