Aware of his present, unsure about his future

He reflected on his 2015 season, when he was the best player in football and led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance. But he also mentioned the year before he arrived in Charlotte, when the Panthers went 2-14 in 2010, which set the stage for them to choose him first overall.

Newton was part of building something special. And now he’s in this spot.

“I don’t necessarily know what the future holds,” he said. “But I’m going to look that lion in the eyeball, and not blink.”

At once Newton was confident in his own abilities, and at times he seemed to recognize what was happening in front of him.

“We, the whole Charlotte community, we deserve better,” he said of the team’s recent struggles. “Hell, I want better.”

For Newton, there wasn’t going to be a fairytale ending. He stood by on the sideline as Darnold played the late stages, watching helplessly as the game — perhaps his last one here — ended.

When it was over, Newton quickly ran to midfield and hugged Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, just a couple of former league MVPs greeting each other after a game. But while the 44-year-old Brady never seems to age, Newton has looked a like a man whose play is not what it was.

After that one brilliant Sunday in Arizona when he declared “I’m back,” and the following week against Washington when it looked like he was, his game has not been the same.

Sunday, Newton was 7-of-13 for 61 yards and an interception. In his last four games, he has a combined passer rating of 44.5, with a touchdown and five interceptions. He had a 33-yard run against the Bucs and showed he can still make plays in that part of the game, but it’s not working in the passing game, which is why Darnold was playing.