Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton underwent surgery on his foot in early December with the goal of being 100 percent healthy by the new league year. Not all of the details of this surgery were revealed at the time, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has new information. The longtime insider revealed the nature of Newton's "unique" surgery.

A look at the unique surgery that #Panthers QB Cam Newton had to repair his foot, why it should eliminate future concerns, and what it means for the immediate future... pic.twitter.com/bcS5IIbJ6h — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 28, 2020

"My understanding of Cam Newton's surgery is that they put a webbing in the bottom of his foot to kinda help ease the process and make sure that there are no complications going forward," Rapoport said during coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine. "So you don't have to go back in and take the screws out, for instance. It's a fully-approved procedure, it's done by a very respected doctor in Charlotte."

As Rapoport explained, what made this surgery unique is that screws are generally used to fix the Lisfranc injury. They are put in the bottom of the foot to keep it patched together, and then they either dissolve or are removed in a later procedure. This webbing was a different process.

The recovery process is ongoing, and Newton is expected to be back at 100 percent by next season. However, Rapoport also revealed that this situation is a little more complicated. There isn't a "precedent" that has been set by other professional players. No other quarterbacks have really been in this position before, especially any that run as frequently as Newton.

While he recovers, there will continue to be questions about whether or not the Panthers will be keeping Newton in the building. He has one season remaining on his contract, and there was an expectation in recent months that he would be traded or released. Although a recent report made it appear that the Panthers will actually be moving ahead with Newton for another season.

Rapoport reported on Feb. 25 that the Panthers are expected to keep Newton despite the rumors of a pending trade. The 2015 league MVP has made it clear that he wants to remain in Charlotte for the remainder of his career. Team owner David Tepper didn't confirm that Newton would be back with the team, but he did say that health would play a role in any decisions.

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