The Carolina Panthers are considering bringing back Cam Newton as their quarterback next season.
"They do have a couple caveats... he has to come back and take less money," The Charlotte Observer’s Langston Wertz Jr. told WFAE’s Gwendolyn Glenn in this week’s installment of Time Out for Sports. "I think he made $10 million last year. And he also has to come back not as the pronounced starter. He's going to have to, you know, battle for a roster position.
"And Carolina still could bring in Jimmy Garoppolo. They still could bring in Baker Mayfield into the quarterback room with Sam Darnold. I do, Gwenn, tend to think if Cam Newton is given a full offseason and those other two guys don't come, he'll beat Sam Darnold out for the starting job."
Charlotte FC fired its head coach Miguel Ramirez, and much of his staff, midseason with the team’s record 5-8-1 and a shot at the playoffs. There’s still not been a clear-cut reason given by team officials for the firing.
"The decision seemed to come out of nowhere and it surprised the coach as well," Wertz said. "You know, Charlotte was just outside the playoff hunt and the playoffs don't start for a couple of months still. He was doing really well with the first team, to the surprise of many within Major League Soccer."
In the NBA finals, game two was on Sunday between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics. Two Charlotteans played against each other in that game — Steph Curry a Charlotte Christian and Davidson College grad and Grant Williams from Providence Day.
"To think, two players who went to high school on the same street are on the biggest stage in basketball and one of the biggest sports stages in the world is pretty incredible," Wertz said.
You can listen to the full Time Out for Sports conversation above. Here’s a quick look at what else Glenn and Wertz covered this week.
- Johnson C. Smith University will host the Charlie Sifford Cup on Aug. 29. This will mark the 100th anniversary of Sifford’s birth.
- Providence High baseball team finishes the season undefeated, with a state title and ranked No. 3 in the country.
