The No. 1 jersey Cam Newton wore with the Carolina Panthers was not his first choice.
When the Auburn Tigers standout quarterback was drafted as the No. 1 pick in 2011, he hoped to keep the jersey number he wore in college: No. 2.
At the time, the Panthers were led by signal-caller Jimmy Clausen, the 48th overall pick in 2010, who proposed a deal to Newton for the No. 2 jersey that Newton took for a joke.
“[Jimmy] was like s—, if you want it, you gotta pay for it,” Newton recalled in a YouTube video.
Newton considered purchasing the number until Clausen threw out a price Newton couldn’t take seriously.
“I thought he was playing, the motherf—er comes back and says ‘OK, bro, I talked to my people, we’ll do it for $750,000,'” the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner elaborated on Clausen’s attempt to cut a discount.
The second offer made Newton realize Clausen was serious about wanting to sell the number, so the incoming rookie instantly called the equipment team to secure the No. 1 jersey.
According to Newton, the situation motivated him to step his game up more.
“I made an oath to myself [that] that will be the last time Jimmy Clausen will ever be heard of in Carolina,” Newton said.
In his rookie campaign, Clausen passed for 1,558 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions. Carolina finished the season with a 2-14 record and, more importantly, the No. 1 pick of the 2011 NFL draft.
The next year, Newton accounted for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air, with 706 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. He led the Panthers to a 6-10 record and earned Rookie of the Year honors.
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