Patriots’ Preseason Opener Gave Ron Rivera, Cam Newton Chance To Catch Up

Cam Newton and Ron Rivera helped jump-start one another’s careers, so there always will be mutual admiration and respect.

The longtime Panthers quarterback and head coach got to link up Thursday for the first time since their respective runs in Carolina ended. Newton, now with the New England Patriots, and Rivera, who is the coach of the Washington Football Team, had a moment to catch up with each other following the Pats’ 22-13 preseason win Thursday night.

“It was good. It was good to see him again,” Rivera said after the game, via a team-provided transcript. “He and I are kind of connected for the most part. My first chance in the league as a head coach and he was our first pick, the first pick of the draft actually. So it was good to see him. I’m always cheering for him. He’s a heck of a young man.”

Rivera went from defensive coordinator of the then-San Diego Chargers to head coach of the Panthers ahead of the 2011 season. It was that year Carolina took Newton first overall out of Auburn. The two had some impressive runs together, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 2016, where they lost to the Denver Broncos.

The Panthers fired Rivera during the 2019 season in what also proved to be the final campaign in Carolina for Newton.