Ron Rivera said it, Dave Gettleman agreed, and on Thursday, so did Cam Newton.

The NFL's reigning MVP can get better.

"I haven't peaked, I haven't climaxed as a player, and that's what I need to get better at," Carolina's quarterback said after the Panthers finished their final minicamp practice.

"I always can find ways to take my game to the next level. Just getting everybody on the same page, as one of the captains, I take that very pridefully knowing that there are a lot of people looking at me to lead this team."

Heading into his sixth season, Newton isn't yet a perfect quarterback — if there's even such a thing. His accuracy seems like the most obvious area for improvement, although Gettleman believes "his accuracy shouldn't be a concern to anyone."

Newton's decision-making should also continue to improve as it did in 2015 when he finally bought in to taking what the defense gave him.

Mentally, the 27-year-old hasn't changed in the year since he signed his $104-million contract and in the five months since losing in the Super Bowl.

"We do not need it, but we all are playing with a chip on our shoulder," Newton said.

Added Rivera:

"We’re a very prideful bunch. We know that the ultimate goal wasn’t completed. And I think that, more so than anything else, is what drives us. If you want to consider it a chip on our shoulders, then so be it."

Newton's seven and a half minutes with reporters Thursday was the first time he's addressed football questions with local media since he returned from that loss against the Broncos. Not surprisingly, he wasn't in the mood to chat about that game or the season opener at Denver in September.

"We’re trying to maximize our June, and then to our July, and then to August and the list goes on. The Super Bowl is 2017. We still got a lot to do in 2016," Newton said. "I am really so focused on June of 2016, I don't need to keep talking about things that happened in the past."

And about that Super Bowl postgame press conference?

"I don’t need to keep talking about things that happened in the past," he repeated. "For what it's worth, I’m here trying to get better. Find ways to link up with my players in the offseason so that we can maximize our talents to start in playoff form at the start of the season."

Like last summer, Newton is expected to host a handful of his teammates at the Under Armour facilities in Baltimore. That'll happen shortly before they regather in Spartanburg. There Newton will have his full compliment of weapons for the first time since receiver Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL in August.

With Benjamin held out of team drills during offseason workouts, Newton was "rusty" at times and excellent at others. The ups and downs aren't anything new, but what's scary for the rest of the league is the ups that still may come.

"When we first got started I said he’s got room to grow, and it’s not just about his base fundamentals as an athlete but his base fundamentals as a mental athlete, understanding the mental aspects of the game. It’s good to see. It’s good to watch him make checks, make decisions, to discuss those things openly with his coaches on the field," Rivera said.

"That’s all part of growing and continuing to be a great quarterback in this league."