The fan loyalty for Cam Newton remains strong. The thirst for his homecoming is even stronger.

Carolina Panthers tickets have spiked to season-high prices since Newton re-signed with the franchise last week, pricing from around $280 in the ticketiQ database for much of the season to an average of $403 for Newton’s first game at Bank of America Stadium.

At one point Monday, the average secondary market ticket prices for Carolina spiked 41 percent beyond the previous home game. Of course, all the excitement follows the Panthers' 34-10 blowout win over the Cardinals on Sunday in Arizona, which featured an electric two-touchdown performance from Newton, despite him appearing in only a handful of goal-line and short-yardage packages.

Fans are anticipating a ramping up for Newton against the Washington Football Team this Sunday, heating up ticket prices in what should be an emotional return. That’s certainly not a surprise, given that Newton and the Panthers ended on fairly peaceful terms, with team owner David Tepper largely placing the breakup on not being able to continually gamble on the quarterback’s health. For his part, Newton expressed love for the fan base and city and sadness about how it all came to an end with the Panthers.

There’s also an added twist to this one, with former Panthers coach Ron Rivera returning to Carolina for the first time since his firing in 2019. There’s still no shortage of warm feelings toward Riverboat Ron inside the Panthers franchise and fan base, after he spent nine seasons guiding the team while making one Super Bowl appearance. Now he’s expected to face the quarterback he played a part in drafting first overall in 2011, becoming Rivera’s franchise centerpiece for the entirety of his coaching stint in Carolina.

Panthers coach Matt Rhule told the media Monday that Newton will get the majority of the team’s starting practice snaps this week as the coaching staff attempts to get him up to speed as quickly as possible.