Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman has insisted that the club will not restrain Cam Newton from playing his natural game despite handing him a lucrative contract extension.
The NFC South side have handed the 26-year-old a five-year deal until the end of the 2020 season worth up to $103.8m (£67.6m).
Newton hinted that he would have to play smart to keep himself healthy for the duration of his deal, but Gettleman is adamant that the club will not restrict him from running with the ball.
When asked if they would tell Newton to change the style of his game, Gettleman told reporters: "No. He's got to be Cam. You don't hold back a thoroughbred, you don't. I don't know if you watched the Belmont.
"When [American] Pharaoh came around that backstretch and that horse was nipping at his heels, the jockey let him go. He didn't whip him. He's just, 'Go baby!' And that's what a thoroughbred does. You don't change their game. You can't do it."
Newton has thrown for 14,426 yards and 82 touchdowns to 54 interceptions along with 2,571 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in his four years in the NFL.
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