When Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney was asked about quarterback Cam Newton’s status last week, Hurney would only say that Newton is rehabbing from surgery to repair the foot injury that ended his 2019 season.
Newton’s health was front and center in Panthers owner David Tepper’s answer to a similar question on Tuesday. While Newton said he will “absolutely” be in Carolina this year, Tepper maintained that there isn’t much to discuss about Newton’s future until they know he’s healthy.
“Listen, I’m not a doctor,” Tepper said, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “I’ve said it a million times. Is he healthy? He’s not a doctor. There’s a lot of different things that can happen, but first is, is he healthy? Tell me that and then we can talk.”
It’s not clear what date the Panthers have in mind to make a call on Newton’s health and firm up their plans for the quarterback position in 2020 and it seems unlikely that their answers are going to change until they reach it.