Cam Newton, one of the former faces of the NFL, is now a free agent for the second time in the past twelve months. Last year, when Cam Newton signed with the New England Patriots, it looked like a bargain deal. The Patriots were getting a former MVP for virtually nothing. However, this deal didn’t pan out for either parties. It was obvious that the team would take a huge step back after the greatest quarterback ever left for Tampa Bay, however the Pats were still expected to be in the playoff mix during the end of the season, and they were not able to accomplish that.
Due to these reasons, it is unlikely that Newton will return, and at this point in time the only way it makes sense for the Patriots to re-sign him is if they draft a quarterback and they want Cam to mentor him. But, there are some other teams that may be willing to sign Cam Newton.
Washington Football Team
Probably the most obvious option for Cam would be to reunite with his former head coach Ron Rivera in the nation’s capital. The Washington Football Team is coming off of a decent 7-9 season where they were able to win the NFC East and almost beat the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury a couple of years ago, Washington had no choice but to draft a quarterback in the 2019 draft, so they selected Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall pick. Haskins played in his rookie season but he struggled mightily, and just this past season he started off as the starter in Week 1. Again, he struggled and also had his fair share of off the field issues, which forced the team to part ways with the former Ohio State QB.
Washington had already lost Kyle Allen earlier in the year after he tore his ACL. But, fortunately for Washington, Alex Smith returned and played pretty well, however he still suffered some injuries and Washington may want to go in a different direction during this off-season. The team also has Taylor Heinicke, who will be under contract for the next couple of seasons. It’s unlikely that Allen or Heinicke are viewed as the franchise QB, so the team will likely have to pick up a QB in either the draft or in free agency. Heinicke and Allen have something in common and that is they were both on the Carolina Panthers while Ron Rivera was the head coach. Rivera liked the fact that he knew who he was bringing in and he will have an opportunity to do that again with another one of his former players.
Cam Newton flourished under Ron Rivera and Washington signing him makes a ton of sense. Washington is in need of a QB and Rivera likes to bring in guys who have already played for him. Cam fits that category and it may be a very good idea to rejoin the guy who helped him win the MVP and the same guy who led the Panthers to the Super Bowl after an incredible 15-1 season in 2015. Cam will likely need a new home and Washington will be a great fit.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers may be another team looking for a new guy under center. Jimmy Garoppolo is coming off a season where he suffered multiple injuries, forcing him to miss a good chunk of the season. This is not the first time this has happened. Kyle Shanahan may be looking to move on from Jimmy G and the 49ers may not be willing to trade multiple picks to get a QB, so they may look at the free agency market. Cam Newton has the chance to be the guy that they covet. He has proven that he can be a great dual threat QB and that he has what it takes to lead a team to play in February. The 49ers were the team that represented the NFC in Super Bowl 54 and as long as they get good QB play, they could be back there very soon. Cam will likely come at a relatively cheap cost and he fills most of the boxes the 49ers need.
Chicago Bears
Similarly to the 49ers, the Bears also have a lot of uncertainty surrounding their QB situation. It is unlikely that they keep Mitchell Trubisky after he has yet to take them very far and Nick Foles has not been very good as of late. The Bears now have a first round pick for the first time in 3 years and they could draft a new quarterback. It is possible that Matt Nagy brings in a guy like Newton to come in and mentor the rookie or Cam could be brought in to compete for the starting spot in training camp. Matt Nagy was hired because he was thought to be good at developing quarterbacks and at this point he has not done that with Mitchell Trubisky. Bringing in a former top guy like Cam Newton may be a very wise idea.
Just a couple of seasons ago, Cam Newton was playing at a very high level and if it wasn’t for a couple of injuries he could’ve been playing nearly as good. Cam still had a decent year in 2020 and although he did not make the playoffs, he showed that he still has something left in the tank and he should definitely have another opportunity in the NFL.
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