Cam Newton cut by Panthers: 5 NFL teams that should sign former MVP
Cam Newton will be released after the Panthers couldn’t find a trade for the former NFL MVP but which teams should sign the quarterback in free agency?
Even before the Carolina Panthers signed Teddy Bridgewater, it was clear that Cam Newton would be heading elsewhere for the 2020 season. The only question was how it would happen. Would the former NFL MVP be traded or would the Panthers only look to save the money and release him?
On Tuesday, we got our answer. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that the Panthers would cut Newton, saving roughly $19 million while taking on just $2 million in dead cap in parting ways with the quarterback by doing so, at some point on Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also noted that the Panthers worked hard to find a trade for the quarterback, noting that they talked with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers, but were unable to find a taker. Thus, his release was the only way that Carolina could go from this point.
Panthers are expected to release QB Cam Newton today, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 24, 2020
The #Panthers tried to send Cam Newton to the #Bears and #Chargers. They found no takers and at this point, no starting jobs available. Release was the only option. Carolina has just $2M in dead money with this release, but Cam is now free.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2020
With his release, however, Cam Newton is now a free agent, meaning that there should be a more lucrative market for his services. So which NFL teams should be interested in the former MVP signal-caller? These five would make sense as free agency landing spots, albeit in varying capacities.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
Full disclosure, I find it highly unlikely that Cam Newton would end up on the Pittsburgh Steelers. You have to believe that, even coming off of his foot injury that limited him to just two games in the 2019 season, that Newton wants to start for some team. And the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger coming back, meaning that’s not a real possibility in the Steel City. Moreover, the Steelers aren’t exactly flush with cap space.
Having said that, if the Steelers could work out a deal with Newton while also getting him to agree to be a backup, they could surely use his services.
In the 2019 season, Pittsburgh almost made the playoffs with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges filling in for Big Ben. Even with health concerns of his own, it’s quite obvious that Newton would be a tremendous upgrade over either of those players.
Bringing in the former Panther would essentially ensure that the Steelers would be a playoff team. Even if Roethlisberger were to go down with another injury, Pittsburgh would have a quarterback ready to step in who has previously led a team to the Super Bowl. Talk about a change of fortune in regards to the backup quarterback spot.