Panthers release quarterback after less than two months with team

Just a day after activating him from the COVID-19 list, Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Barkley was released by the team on Wednesday, per Darin Gantt.

Barkley was placed on the list Dec. 17. The 31-year-old former USC signal caller has yet to see the field since coming to Charlotte in November. In his NFL career, Barkley has played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers (practice squad), Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans (practice squad).

Barkley has started seven games — six of which were for the Bears — and seen action in 19 total contests in his professional career. He’s thrown for 2,699 yards, 11 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

The 6-foot-2, 234-pound California native was a fourth-round pick in 2013, and he was the No. 1 overall recruit out of high school in 2009.

Quarterback Cam Newton started Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before Sam Darnold came in in relief after two series. It was his first action since coming back from a shoulder injury.

The Panthers have lost five consecutive games and 10 of their last 12 contests. They have been eliminated from the playoffs, so their only two remaining games are against the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 2 and the Buccaneers on Jan. 9.

Newton addresses NFL future

On Sunday, Newton may have played his last game as a member of the Carolina Panthers, but the question of whether he’s played his last NFL game remains to be seen.

Newton’s career has had its ups and downs, but recently, there haven’t been many high points. Newton signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers after a short stint with the New England Patriots and made his coveted return — he even rushed for a touchdown and yelled, “I’m back!” at the camera — but since then, Newton and the Panthers have looked mediocre, at best. In what looked to be Newton’s final home game of his Panthers career, a 32-6 loss to the Buccaneers, Newton completed seven of his 13 passing attempts for 61 passing yards, one interception and 42 rushing yards.

“Football has been good to me,” Newton said after the game. “I was able to walk away unscathed. I don’t want to sound like I’m retiring, but, I’ve had some great memories.”

Newton spent the first nine years of his NFL career in Charlotte after the Panthers used their No. 1 overall selection on the Auburn signal caller in 2011. In his first stint with Carolina, Newton led the Panthers to three division titles, four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl appearance. He was named NFL MVP in 2015.

In total, Newton started 124 of the 125 games he played for the Panthers during his first stint and threw for 31,698 yards, 190 touchdowns and 118 interceptions. A true dual-threat quarterback, he also had 4,806 rushing yards and 58 scores on the ground.