Luke Kuechly and Cam Newton were teammates on the Carolina Panthers for eight seasons.
Former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton is one of the most polarizing players in NFL history.
People either love or hate Newton. There's no in between.
Panthers legend Luke Kuechly, who recently made the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was teammates with Newton in Carolina for eight seasons, so the LB knows the QB better than anyone.
On Johnny Manziel's "Glory Daze" podcast, Kuechly revealed what Newton was really like as a teammate.
"I don't think I ever saw Cam yell at somebody, get mad at somebody, call somebody out in a negative way,'' Kuechly said, via ESPN. "I don't think he ever blamed anybody, and I always appreciated that.
"The toughness that Cam had was something that doesn't get talked about enough. He didn't always need to say things, but if you just watched how he treated people and watched how he worked and watched how he would get hit and get back up, and watch him run through defenders to get first downs, you kind of understood toughness for us [wasn't] negotiable.''
Newton will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027. The QB spent the first nine years of his NFL career with the Panthers. He made three Pro Bowls and one All-Pro and won the 2015 MVP Award.
However, Carolina parted ways with Newton after the 2019 season due to injuries. Newton played for the New England Patriots in 2020 and was a huge shell of himself, throwing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Newton appeared in eight games with the Panthers in 2021 after getting cut by the Patriots. He went 0-5 and threw four touchdowns and five interceptions. That was his final season in the NFL.
The Panthers made Super Bowl 50 behind Newton but lost to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, 24-10. Newton infamously didn't dive on a fumble during that game.
Newton finished his NFL career with 32,382 passing yards, 194 passing touchdowns, 123 interceptions, 5,628 rushing yards and 75 rushing touchdowns with the Panthers and Patriots. He is second in NFL history in rushing touchdowns by a QB.
Among QBs, Newton is third all-time in rushing yards (5,628). He holds the Panthers' franchise records in career passing yards (29,725) and touchdowns (186).
It will be interesting to see if Newton joins Kuechly in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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