Andy Dalton recently signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys. The contract signals the death of Cam Newton’s free-agent market.
On Saturday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that free-agent quarterback Andy Dalton signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The deal includes $3 million in guaranteed money and is worth up to $7 million. While the contract potentially creates controversy in Dallas, it also signals the death of the free-agent market for Cam Newton.
Entering free agency and after his eventual release, Newton highlighted a class that also featured Jameis Winston. Since then, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. The deal includes up to $3.4 million in incentives. Dalton briefly joined Newton in free agency before Dallas snatched him up after he spent less than a week on the open market.
Now the sole starting-caliber free agent quarterback remaining, Newton could stay without a team into the 2020 season. His market is almost nonexistent at the moment. If the rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars or New England Patriots didn’t jump on healthy quarterbacks like Dalton and Winston, it seems unlikely they’ll pay extra for Newton and his unknown physical condition.
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The current pandemic makes it difficult for team doctors to meet with potential signings. So, teams can’t easily give Newton a physical and determine his true health. Combined with the surprisingly low salaries other free agent quarterbacks received, Newton’s health creates a barrier to him signing with a team before the season.
Dalton’s contract highlights the potential massive pay cut Newton would need to take to make an NFL roster. Before the Cincinnati Bengals released Dalton on April 30, the team owed him around $17 or $18 million this coming season. Likewise, the Carolina Panthers owed Newton between $19-21 million before they released him in late March. Even Winston made around $20 million in Tampa Bay last year.
For a former MVP like Newton, taking a $12-16 million pay cut may be out of the question. However, no team will pay him to be their starter in 2020. Every team already signed qualified veterans or set up young players to take the reins this coming season. Dalton’s small deal to back up Dak Prescott only further demonstrates that Newton will end up with a minimal contract and a limited role to start the season, assuming he even signs with a team.
The best potential landing spot for Newton where he could easily win the starting job is in Washington with his former head coach, Ron Rivera. The Redskins already brought in former Panther Kyle Allen and drafted Dwayne Haskins last year. However, barring a miraculous comeback from Alex Smith, Newton easily stands out as the best quarterback from that group.
The Jaguars and Patriots also possess fluid quarterback situations, but both teams seem poised to enter rebuilding stages with an eye on returning to competitive levels in 2021 or 2022. Signing Newton would not only needlessly expend cap space, but the move could also delay the rebuilding process. That leaves the Redskins as Newton’s best hope for a starting job this coming season. However, even Washington seems like a stretch at this point.