Cam Newton laid off by ESPN less than a year after contract extension in stunner

You won’t be seeing Cam Newton on ESPN anymore. 

As part of a round of layoffs that’s included ex-NFLer Ryan Clark and NFL Network newsbreaker Tom Pelissero, the former Panthers quarterback was also fired from ESPN on Tuesday, sources told OutKick. 

Newton, who spent a decade in the NFL between the Panthers and Patriots, had been a debate partner for Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” over the last two years. 

Cam Newton during a “First Take” episode in February 2026. Getty Images

Newton signed a multi-year deal with ESPN in August 2025 to expand his role on the show.

As a Shannon Sharpe’s replacement, ESPN elevated Newton to be Smith’s main Monday co-host during football season last year, the show’s highest-rated day of the week. 

According to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, several layoffs are due to its acquisition of NFL Network. 

“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired through ESPN,” Pintaro said in a memo, per Variety.

Cam Newton during a 2025 “First Take.” @espncfb/YouTube

“Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structures to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.” 

More to come on this developing story…