<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Panthers hint Cam Newton will strike 'Keep Pounding' drum before wild card

          play
          Panthers embrace underdog title heading into the playoffs (0:56)

          David Newton breaks down Panthers mentality heading into the playoffs. (0:56)

          • David NewtonJan 7, 2026, 06:56 PM ET
            Close
              David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013.
            Follow on X

          CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- He's back.

          Again.

          Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton uttered the words "I'm back'' in 2021 when he scored a touchdown on his first play as a 32-year-old replacement for injured Sam Darnold.

          He uttered them again Wednesday on a social media post from the team that insinuated the now 36-year-old television-radio-podcast star will be at Bank of America Stadium to strike the "Keep Pounding'' drum before Saturday's wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.

          It will be the first home playoff game for Carolina (8-9) since Newton and the 2015 team hosted and won the NFC championship against the Arizona Cardinals to reach Super Bowl 50.

          "It'll be electric,'' Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn said on Wednesday of Newton potentially hitting the ceremonial drum. "That'll be something everybody will want to see. It'll mean a lot to this organization, a lot to this city.

          "It'll be lit.''

          Newton and the Panthers lost the Super Bowl, and injuries plagued the next four seasons for the top pick of the 2011 draft. He was released in March 2020.

          He returned in November 2021 when Darnold was injured. But, after scoring touchdowns the first two times he touched the ball as a backup, he went 0-5 as the team's starter and was released after the season.

          Newton's relationship with the organization has since soured. He said on his "4th&1 With Cam Newton Podcast" last season that he was "hurt" because the organization didn't invite him with other team legends to participate in events prior to a Carolina regular-season game in Munich, Germany.

          Newton is one of only three Carolina quarterbacks with playoff wins -- Jake Delhomme has five, Newton three and Kerry Collins one -- and he's the only one to win the NFL MVP (2015).

          A team spokesperson would not confirm whether Newton will strike the "Keep Pounding'' drum that is struck before games and entering the fourth quarter. But the message in the team's social media post uses Newton's voice and seems to indicate his involvement.

          The caption also used Newton's signature font and the message "SOUND THE DRUM'' along with "Don't be Late.''

          Newton's podcast, according to a league source, also is scheduled to be in Charlotte on Saturday.