Cam Newton Speaks Out After Signing with Patriots: 'Farewell Carolina, Hello New England'

PEOPLE exclusively premieres Cam Newton's latest YouTube vlog, in which he says: "I never once wanted to leave Carolina"

Cam Newton is looking back at his career with the Carolina Panthers as he prepares to join the New England Patriots.

PEOPLE exclusively premieres the quarterback's latest vlog, titled "Farewell Carolina, Hello New England," from his YouTube channel. Newton's video comes a day after it was announced that he signed a one-year deal with the Patriots to replace Tom Brady, who recently signed on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 20 seasons in Foxborough.

In the new footage, Newton speaks candidly from his Atlanta home gym on March 17, which was the day the Panthers announced they gave him permission to seek a trade, bringing Newton's nine-year run in Carolina to an end.

"Right now, like I'm angry, I just feel let down but at the same time, I'm not bitter," the athlete says in the vlog. "I know since the first day I came into this league, that this day was gonna come. I've been with the organization, a great organization, for as long as I've been in the NFL. I'm sad for this day to come. But, at the end of the day, in the famous words of Nipsey [Hussle], 'The marathon continues.' "

Newton adds, "I'm blessed, I'm honored. I have no idea what's the next steps. But one thing about it, through God's grace, there will be a next step."

Cam Newton in August 2017. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Addressing his fans and followers, the star also says "don't believe the hype," clearing the air by telling the camera: "I never once wanted to leave Carolina. Don't let them believe, don't let them believe anything else. It was their decision. I stuck with it and I knew that so I asked for a trade. Everything else, that's BS."

About his parting ways with the Panthers, Newton says, "I'm not bitter, I don't have any hatred. I just understand this is a business first."

Speaking about his appreciation for the Panthers staff, including head coach Matt Rhule, owner David Tepper and general manager Marty Hurney, Newton says: "You can trust and know that I'm not going to be that silent person. It's all love, it's been love, it's always going to be love."

Highlights from his career with the Panthers play in the latter half of the vlog, including when he was drafted as the No. 1 pick in 2011 and selected as the league MVP in 2015, when he led the Panthers to an appearance in the Super Bowl, though the team suffered a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. (Newton holds most of Carolina's career passing records.)

And more recent footage shows his recovery and training after foot surgery due to a Lisfranc injury. "Let's get to work!" Newton signs off his vlog.