Former Carolina Panthers star QB Cam Newton gets hit with news he didn’t want to hear amid major ESPN changes
Former Carolina Panthers quarterback and NFL MVP Cam Newton was fired from ESPN as part of the network’s major layoff announcements taking place on Tuesday.
Former Carolina Panthers star quarterback and league MVP Cam Newton will no longer be a part of ESPN roster after being announced as one of the employees laid off by the company during Tuesday’s mass departure announcements, as first reported by Bobby Burack of OutKick.
Newton joined the network back in 2024 as a football commentator and a recurring analyst on ESPN’s First Take. He was featured as the main debate opponent against Stephen A. Smith, and the network’s Monday replacement for Shannon Sharpe during the NFL season. The former first overall pick signed a muti-year extension with ESPN in 2025 and was expected to expand his role within the show.
Newton becomes the latest former NFL star turned media personality to be laid off by the network this week, joining former safety Ryan Clark and former linebacker Bart Scott. With Newton and Clark now out at ESPN, the network will begin its search for Smith’s next co-host on First Take for the upcoming 2026-27 NFL season.
Cam Newton’s media career is far from over following ESPN layoff
Since retiring from the NFL, Newton’s personality was always going to be a slam-dunk fit in the media world, even if it came with some controversial comments at times. After this latest news, the former Panthers standout won’t have wait long until finding his way back into a chair with a microphone with a top network.
In the meantime, Newton has created his own space to produce content with his “4th&1 With Cam Newton” YouTube channel that has over 546,000 subscribers and over 2,400 videos published. For fans still interested in hearing Newton’s takes, you can check out his work here breaking down the NFL and other topics.
One thing’s for sure, where ever Newton lands next in the media world, he’s going to be unapologetically himself, just like he has for the entirety of his professional career. Whoever lands Newton next will land an electrifying personality, for better or worse.
Cam Newton’s rocky relationship with the Carolina Panthers finally started to reform in 2025
The Panthers drafted Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 and he quickly turned into a must-watch sensation with his fiery personality and dual-threat ability that took the NFL by storm.
By 2015, Newton led the Panthers to a Super Bowl berth with a 15-1 regular season record. Newton was named NFL MVP that season but the year ended with one of the most infamous moments in Super Bowl history when Newton failed to jump on a loose fumble. The eventual loss was devastating for Panthers fans, who soon soured on Newton.
In 2021, Newton made an electrifying return to Carolina to play out the final year of his NFL career. Newton started five games that season before finally hanging up the cleats.
After his retirement, Newton was not on the best terms with the organization that drafted him due to various reasons. However, the bridge was rebuilt last year when Newton returned to Bank of America Stadium and banged the “Keep Pounding” drum to fire up the home crowd ahead of the Panthers’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
No matter what comes next for Newton’s career, he will always be a Panthers legend first and one the organization and the fans will always support.