Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton hasn't been able to throw much to rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, but it hasn't stopped the two from spending time together in the weeks since the Panthers drafted Benjamin in the first round.
Newton invited Benjamin to Georgia over Memorial Day weekend, when the two went boating on Lake Lanier outside Atlanta. At an NFL Play 60 event Thursday at the Panthers' practice fields, Benjamin said he was scheduled to join Newton for dinner Thursday night.
Newton, who is recovering from March ankle surgery, was close with former Panthers receiver Louis Murphy, Newton's teammate at Florida.
But Newton generally hasn't done a lot away from Bank of America Stadium with teammates, so his bonding with Benjamin is worth noting.
"I think that's big," Benjamin said. "The connection between a wide receiver and a quarterback is real big. It's like a relationship, like girlfriend-boyfriend. He's a great guy, great teammate. He's always telling me I can work on this to get better. That's what I need -- somebody to push me."
Newton, who has given Benjamin the nickname 'Benji,' joked that one negative about Benjamin is his former school.
"He always finds a way to mention Florida State, and that's the bad," Newton said
