Carolina Panthers hint that Cam Newton will boom Keep Pounding drum for playoff game
The atmosphere in Bank of America Stadium was already going to be electric this weekend.
But if a certain special guest will join, it might just border on the unbelievable.
The Carolina Panthers not-so-subtly hinted that Cam Newton, one of the franchise’s most beloved if elusive figures, will participate in the longstanding tradition of hitting the “Keep Pounding” drum during the Panthers’ playoff game festivities Saturday. The team did so in a social media post Wednesday afternoon — one that showed the video of a drum with Newton’s voice as the soundtrack.
“I know I said, ‘I’m back,’” archived audio of Newton’s voice said in the video. “But in essence, we back.”
The video ended with the words: “Don’t be late.”
Technically, a team spokesperson was unable to confirm to The Charlotte Observer “any specifics related to the Keep Pounding drummer for Saturday’s game” against the Los Angeles Rams. That includes who will take part in the tradition, as well as when exactly that special guest will do it. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m.
If all indicators are correct, Saturday will be Newton’s first time in the stadium for a game since he was a player in 2021 — and it’ll mark his first time booming the Keep Pounding drum.
The custom takes place twice every home game — once before kickoff and once between the third quarter and the fourth. The four wails on the drum kickstart the Panthers’ call-and-response battle cry — “Keeeeeeep … Pounding!” — which was adopted by the franchise from the late Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Mills, who originated the expression.
Newton will also host a live production of his podcast — “4th&1 with Cam Newton” — at Roaring Riot’s official tailgate Saturday, according to a spokesperson for the fan group. The tailgate begins at noon.
It’s tough to overstate the meaning of Newton’s return in this way, to the place he entertained for 10 of his 11 seasons in the NFL. It meets the moment the current Panthers find themselves in — and helps settle the widely held belief among fans that there is a rift between Panthers ownership and the franchise’s only MVP.
A celebration of the Carolina Panthers’ 2015 team
First, the moment:
The Panthers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and are hosting a postseason game for the first time since 2015. In both of those seasons, the now-retired Newton was the quarterback. The 2015 season in particular was a magical year that made this Charlotte franchise a national phenomenon, and Newton was a massive reason for it.
In 16 regular-season games that year, Newton threw for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns. He ran for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns, too, en route to the MVP trophy. The Panthers, in turn, went 15-1 and then scorched through the playoffs before falling short in the Super Bowl against the Broncos. Their first playoff game at home that year was Jan. 17, 2015 — 10 years (minus one week) prior to this coming Saturday.
Newton’s charisma and Superman showmanship brought extra attention to his play that year. He did a lap around the stadium high-fiving fans after every win. He gave footballs to kids in the stands after every rushing touchdown. He got his teammates to take pictures with him mid-game; he got them to dance in the end zone. He was polarizing, yes. But he was undeniable.
Cam Newton’s exit from Carolina wasn’t pretty
Then, eventually, came the rift:
A few years after that 2015 season, the Panthers had fundamentally changed. David Tepper bought the team from Jerry Richardson in 2018. Head coach Matt Rhule was hired in 2019 and was the coach when the Panthers unceremoniously waived Newton in March 2020.
Newton returned to Carolina in 2021 for eight games, a moment of remarkable sentimentality and splendor. That first game, against the Arizona Cardinals, Newton played exactly eight plays and scored two touchdowns. After his first — a rushing score, no less — he ripped off his helmet and let out a cathartic scream: “I’m BAAACKKKK!”
The rest of his tenure, though, wasn’t good. He started five games after that, went 0-5, and finished the final two games on the bench. He was then cut again and hasn’t played in the NFL since.
Since 2022, Newton has started several media ventures. He has his own YouTube channel and makes regular appearances on ESPN’s “First Take.” Newton has used his media platform to tell stories about his time playing in the NFL, many of which recall times in Carolina, and the quarterback hasn’t been coy about the fact that he doesn’t feel welcomed by his former employer.
Cam Newton: ‘Did it hurt my feelings? Yeah’
That sentiment was piqued in November 2024, when Newton said on his show that he wasn’t invited by the Panthers to join them on their trip to Munich, Germany, even while many other Panthers legends — including several of his own 2015 teammates, including Thomas Davis, Jonathan Stewart and Luke Kuechly — were there.
“Did it hurt my feelings?” Newton said on his show after revealing he had not been invited on the Germany trip. “Yeah. It did. Like (dang), bro. I gave this city everything.”
He added later on the show that while he didn’t have any issues with Tepper, the Germany slight wasn’t the first time he’d felt excluded by the Panthers.
“Last year, we had a 7-on-7 tournament in Charlotte. We went into the Panthers’ facility. And … you mean to tell me one of the greatest Panthers to ever play ain’t up nowhere? I’m talking nowhere. And who brought it to my attention? My son.”
He added: “A couple years ago, I had initiatives that I brought to the forefront to the Carolina Panthers. I said, ‘Yo, I’m really taking this media (stuff) serious, why don’t we give the live audience this experience: Let’s do a live Funky Friday (podcast) to the masses.’”
Newton said he proposed the media event to be the “perfect way to pass the torch to Bryce Young,” but that ultimately didn’t “get pushed through,” Newton said.
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback has continued to check in with the Panthers since then. In a viral clip last month, Newton said his heart felt full seeing Bank of America Stadium rock with enthusiasm in the team’s win over the Tampa Bay Bucs. But he’s still proven elusive with the organization in official capacities. He wasn’t part of the Panthers’ retrospective project about the 2015 Super Bowl run, for instance, even though most of his teammates were.
David Tepper still has ‘place in his heart’ for Cam Newton
At the premiere of “Super Men” — a documentary produced by The Charlotte Observer that tells the inside story of the 2015 Panthers — a fan in the crowd asked a panel of Panthers legends during the Q&A portion of the evening why Newton wasn’t up on stage with them.
Kuechly, who is employed by the Panthers as a radio analyst and is a close friend of Newton, took the responsibility of tackling the question. He did so thoughtfully, explaining that the only obstacle in Newton’s reuniting with the Panthers was an issue of timing and communication.
“He’ll be back,” Kuechly said.
Kuechly added, “I know the organization and the Teppers certainly still have a special place in their heart for him.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers hint that Cam Newton will boom Keep Pounding drum for playoff game."
