Cam Newton approached Kelvin Benjamin, and the two briefly met at midfield pregame Thursday night. Multiple reports indicate it did appear to go well, perhaps as expected.
According to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, Benjamin appeared to shrug off Newton mid-sentence and began walking away. That prompted Newton to make a “bye then” motion with his hand.
So far, there is no indication of what was said in the brief exchange, but the Observer video shows Benjamin appearing not to want anything to do with talking to Newton.
The Panthers traded Benjamin to the Bills last season, and the receiver said earlier this week it was good riddance to Carolina. He told The Athletic he never felt a fit with the Panthers, specifically with Newton.
“I should’ve just been drafted by somebody else. I should’ve never went to Carolina. Truly, I just think Carolina was bad for me,” Benjamin said. “If you would’ve put me with any other quarterback, let’s be real, you know what I’m saying? Any other accurate quarterback like [Aaron] Rodgers or Eli Manning or Big Ben [Roethlisberger] — anybody! — quarterbacks with knowledge, that know how to place a ball and give you a better chance to catch the ball. It just felt like I wasn’t in that position.”
Newton responded in a video he posted on social media that he wasn’t going to respond: “I ain’t gonna go back and forth with him; I’m just gonna work.”