Cam Newton's greatest strength may be the Carolina Panthers' undoing.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Panthers coach Ron Rivera talked about his fifth-year quarterback's future with the club. Newton is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make $14.7 million in 2015.
Cam Newton won't sign a Colin Kaepernick deal with the Panthers
The Panthers still have the option of using the franchise tag on Newton to keep him signed through next season. The club met with Newton's representatives in February to begin negotiations on a new deal, but the Observer speculated that Newton could be waiting for the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson to hammer out a deal to set the market price for quarterbacks.
Rivera said he didn't think the negotiations would be a distraction to Newton this season if an agreement is not reached before the season starts.
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"I think our quarterback is a smart, savvy young man, understands the dynamics of the game," he said, according to the Observer. "I think he's the kind of guy who's able to focus on certain aspects of the game and put things aside. Obviously, that's a work in progress right now."
Newton certainly proved that to be true his final year at Auburn when he led the Tigers to the national championship and won the Heisman Trophy while being hounded of talk that his father asked Auburn for $180,000 to sign him to a scholarship.
NFL.com reported that talented quarterbacks entering their such as Newton don't offer free agency, and adding the prospect of a franchise in Los Angeles to a long list of suitors could drive the price for Newton even higher.
Newton already has said he does not intend to sign a team-friendly deal similar to the one Colin Kaepernick signed last summer with the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick inked a seven-year, $126 million contract, but the club has the option of releasing him before April 1 in each of those seasons and would be free of paying him any more money.
Ironically, Rivera's comments about Newton Wednesday sounded similar to those being said in connection with Kaepernick.
"I think he relies so much on his great athleticism that sometimes he's not as sound as he needs to be with his fundamentals," Rivera said, according to the Observer. "Now as he continues to grow, I think that's the next step is being sound in everything he does."
Whether that's a bargaining chip for the Panthers at the negotiating table remains to be seen, but it looks as if Newton is holding all the cards right now.
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