Cam Newton fell short of his first attempt to win the Super Bowl but he can seek solace in the knowledge that he was named the league's MVP for the 2015 season.
A Super Bowl 50 defeat to the Denver Broncos saw Newton suffer seven sacks without registering a touchdown pass, but over the course of the year he has redefined the skill-set required to play at quarterback with his mesmeric ability to run the ball.
Sky Sports have looked back over what Newton brings to the table...
Big-game mentality
It appears that Newton plays his best football when the chips are down. He is just 26 years old but has emerged as more than just a talented influence for this Panthers team - he has become a de facto captain of the troops, leading from the centre of the field with a beaming smile and a cocky streak that makes him even more watchable. Newton dominated the NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals, running in two touchdowns and throwing two more. The Panthers, thanks to his focus in the biggest moment of the season up to that point, set a scoring record for an NFC final by winning 49-15 as Newton completed 19 of 28 passes for 335 yards.
The people's champ
It is not only Newton's on-field skills that have made his star shine brighter than his quarterback rivals. Could you imagine the old-school Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning embracing supporters so fervently? The quarterback who never stops smiling has a heart-warming tradition of giving every touchdown ball to a youngster cheering his name. That is not to say that Brady, Rodgers or Manning do not appreciate their supporters but nobody connects with the man in the crowd as naturally as Newton.
On one occasion against the New Orleans Saints this season, a scrooge official paid no attention to Newton's post-touchdown tradition but the Panthers man wouldn't be denied. The pearly white teeth of his grin never dimmed as he hunted down the ball and gifted it to an appreciative fan who must have thought their moment had vanished.
Unrivalled agility... and swagger
Newton has redefined the positioned of quarterback with his athleticism and rushing ability. At 6ft 5in and nearly 250lbs he is an inch shorter and almost identical in weight to British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, yet Newton is sprinting through NFL defences packed with equally muscular specimens and occasionally somersaulting into the end-zone.
He is far younger and much less battle-worn than the likes of Brady or Manning but Newton's varying play at quarterback makes it appear like an altogether different position. The agility in his lower body to dart into the end zone is made even more impressive by the way that Newton transfers those skills into touchdown-celebrating dancing…
Personality
Newton allowed himself to play with a microphone attached for the Panthers' game against the Washington Redskins earlier this season and, for the first time, his unique on-field personality was revealed. Previously, all we knew was that he played the game with a smile on his face like a gridiron Ronaldinho - the video above shows Newton spending time with a young fan, daring the Redskins to hit him harder and, best of all, hilariously teasing an official.
The arm
Back in October, the Panthers were trailing 23-20 with the clock ticking down. They had the ball on their own 20-yard line but, with the Seahawks' Legion of Boom staring menacingly back at them, it looked likely that the Panthers' great season would be curtailed. But Newton hurled an 80-yard pass towards Greg Olsen, who did the rest, reversing the scoreline in the closing moments of the game. It was the Panthers' fourth 80-yard drive of the game proving Newton can create touchdowns from virtually any distance on the field.
But does he have weaknesses?
His sensational season came to a shuddering halt at Super Bowl 50 when he left as a runner-up, without the prize that he arrived looking for. While that doesn't take away from his stellar campaign, he will enter next season having to prove what many people have began to believe - that he is the NFL's best quarterback.
The Broncos, known for aggressive defence, comprehensively got the better of Newton by sacking him seven times and preventing him throwing a single touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter with the Panthers trailing, he fumbled and seemed to lack the grit to challenge two Broncos players to the loose ball. 'Superman' is human, it appeared.
His post-game press conference also attracted criticism. Newton sat deep beneath a hood over his face, visibly unimpressed by his surroundings and unwilling to properly answer questions. To many, it was a sign of an immature youngster who didn't have the battle-tested mindset of some of his elite peers. To others, Newton's sulk merely illustrated that beyond the designer clothes and jewelry he focuses on nothing but victory and refuses to settle for less.