2015 NFL MVP Not Retiring; Wonders Whether Hair Affected Career Opportunities

Cam Newton has suggested that the length of his hair may be one of the reasons why he hasn't been signed by an NFL team.

The 33-year-old play-caller, who did not play in 2022, made the suggestion during an appearance on Josina Anderson's "Undefined" podcast.

"It's been hinted," Newton stated. "And I'm not changing. People have hinted to where they say like, 'Cam, we want you to go back to the 2015 clean-cut Cam.' But that was a different me. Right now, where I'm at, it's about embracing who I am."

"The thing that is always mentioned is, 'Cam, you're scaring people with how you look,'" he claimed. "And I would say, 'Yo, like I'm not gonna name names, but [there are] other quarterbacks [who are] in the league that don't look like me, but they got long hair. They don't scare them, do they?'"

Newton then suggested that Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence, who also has long hair, hasn't faced any of those challenges.

Newton made it big in 2015 when he was still with the Carolina Panthers, a reason why he was named the most valuable player that year. However, since parting ways with the Panthers in 2019, things have just not been the same for the quarterback.

He endured injuries and failed to recall his old form in the past couple of years. When Newton joined the New England Patriots, it seemed that he would get a new lease, but that never happened.

The 2015 NFL Offensive Player of the Year returned to the Panthers in 2021 in a move that initially appeared to make sense, with Sam Darnold suffering an injury at the time.

However, it was not the Cam Newton that most knew. He ended that season with 684 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 230 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in eight games. He lost in all five games that he started, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Since then, all has been quiet on Newton's end. Although there are several NFL teams in need of a quarterback, nothing close to a deal for the top pick of the 2011 NFL Draft has happened.

But while he suggested that his dreadlocks may be a factor in his still being a free agent, a major problem with Newton may be that he prefers to be a starter. But he recently softened up on that stance with a list of quarterbacks to whom he would be willing to play as backup, Pro Football Talk reported.

Despite his frustrations in the search for a new home with a team, Newton said on the podcast that he has no plans of retiring anytime soon and will continue to wait for opportunities.

"I don't think I'll ever retire," Newton said.