A former Carolina Panthers quarterback is among the layoffs at ESPN per a report on Tuesday.
Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has enjoyed life after football as an analyst. Newton has appeared on ESPN as a football analyst both for college football and the NFL over the past few years.
During that time, he's been able to share his opinion on things from a former player perspective. It's been valuable at times for fans to hear a different perspective.
However, on Tuesday, Newton received some bad news. ESPN is going through another round of layoffs as several people have been informed they have been let go.
The latest report from Bobby Burack of Outkick states that Newton is part of the layoffs going on Tuesday. He joins former players Bart Scott and Ryan Clark as analysts who have been laid off.
Last season, the network elevated Newton to replace Shannon Sharpe as Smith's primary Monday co-host during football season, the show's highest-rated day of the week.
Sources say ESPN will look for a permanent replacement for Newton on the Monday editions of the show.
Newton has appeared on ESPN's "First Take" show the past few years, co-starring with Stephen A. Smith. He agreed to a new multi-year contract in the Summer of 2025. He's the latest co-star of the show to be let go by the network, with Shannon Sharpe previously moving on as well.
In addition to the former players, ESPN have also let go of reporters Charles Davis and Tom Pelissero. Both came over from the NFL Network as part of the merge this past year with ESPN. The NFL coverage is certainly taking a hit ahead of the 2026 season.
In addition to working at ESPN, Newton has also had a successful podcast as his own show — 4th & 1 with Cam Newton that airs on YouTube. For now, it looks like the focus will shift to that for Newton until he can find another gig. He shouldn't be out of work long as he could land with another network to provide football coverage throughout the year.
Some network will be happy to have a former player like Newton to offer some analysis.
