The Carolina Panthers have signed quarterback Cam Newton to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. Newton is now under contract with Carolina through the 2020 season.
“I’ve said all along, Cam is our franchise quarterback and we are absolutely thrilled that we got the extension done,” general manager Dave Gettleman said. “It allows us to do the long-term planning that we need to do to make sure that he’s surrounded with players and that we can continue to build this team.
“The amount of obstacles that Cam had to overcome last year and the way he finished the season, not only physically but more importantly mentally, was key for me. It made me very comfortable doing this deal. From a physical standpoint, he’s got everything you’re looking for. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s got the arm to make all the throws and he’s got a natural feel in the pocket that you really can’t coach. He’s progressed very well as an NFL quarterback and we feel he is still ascending and has a big ceiling yet to reach.”
In four NFL seasons, Newton has started all 62 regular season games he has played and has helped lead the Panthers to two consecutive NFC South division titles and playoff appearances (2013-14). Last season, Newton helped Carolina win its first playoff game since 2005 and become the first team in NFC South history to win consecutive division championships.
“This extension shows the commitment we wanted to make to Cam as our franchise quarterback,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “For me personally, he was the first draft pick we ever made and the first pick in 2011 so it continues to solidify that relationship we have with each other.
“We’ve seen continued growth from Cam. As he continues to get better and better this football team seems to respond to him. He’s shown the type of ability to lead on the football field that we’re looking for. We’ve been to the playoffs two years in a row and it bodes very well for our future. I’m very excited we were able to get the deal done.”
Despite missing two games to injury in 2014, Newton passed for 3,127 yards and rushed for 539 yards to become the first player in NFL history to have at least 3,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons. Newton joins Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with four or more 500-yard rushing seasons. Newton is the first player in NFL history to have 10,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his first four seasons and Newton’s 33 rushing touchdowns are the most by a quarterback in his first four seasons. Only three running backs have more rushing touchdowns than Newton over the last four seasons.
Newton stands in second place in Panthers franchise history with 1,144 completions, 1,923 pass attempts and 14,426 passing yards, surpassing the 1,041 completions, 1,723 pass attempts and 12,690 passing yards by Steve Beuerlein from 1996-2000. Newton is tied for second in team history with eight 300-yard passing games and ranks third in team history with 82 touchdown passes.
The No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned the first of two career Pro Bowl selections in his first season. That season, Newton set an NFL rookie record for passing yards with 4,051, shattering the previous mark of 3,739 by Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. His 310 Completions and 21 passing touchdowns ranked as the third most in NFL history by a rookie quarterback. He also established an NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 14, breaking the previous mark of 12 by Steve Grogan of the New England Patriots in 1976. He became the first player in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for at least 500 yards in a single season.
In 2012, Newton set a team record with a 7.98-yard average passing gain, surpassing the previous mark of 7.94 yards by Jake Delhomme in 2008. Newton set a team record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception with 176, which helped him tie the team record for the lowest interception percentage of 2.47 percent, previously achieved by Kerry Collins in 1996. On the ground, Newton led the Panthers in rushing with a career-high 741 yards to become the first quarterback to lead a team in rushing since Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000.
In 2013, Newton earned his second career Pro Bowl selection and helped the Panthers to their first playoff appearance since 2008 by throwing for 3,379 yards and setting career highs with 24 passing touchdowns, a 61.73 completion percentage (the second-highest percentage in team history behind Steve Beuerlein’s record 62.97 in 1998) and an 88.8 passer rating.
