Cam Newton assures Panthers’ fans that he will be ready to play come the start of the season. “I guarantee you that,” said Newton according to the team’s official Twitter page.
Newton has been campaigning to be the cover athlete of the upcoming Madden, battling, and eventually losing out to Seahawks’ cornerback and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman (via Twitter).
Newton’s status has been in question this offseason as he has been recovering from surgery he had to repair his ankle, an injury that has plagued him throughout last season.
The Panthers have been under pressure as Newton approaches his next contract. Newton is coming off his best year as a pro, leading the Panthers to capture the second seed in the playoffs and a first-round bye. However, the team was unable to retain key pieces this offseason, nor replace them with quality players. The team has serious question marks at receiver, left tackle, and in the secondary.
The team will have to fight regression to get back in the playoffs, and Newton will have to match or even outperform his 2013 season if he wants a contract extension close to what Colin Kaepernick got, Andrew Luck is soon to get, or one of the other top flight young quarterbacks in the NFL.