It looks like the end is near for Cam Newton in Carolina. It's been 8+ plus years since Cam took over in Carolina back in 2011 and has made the playoffs four times, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 2015 when the Panthers finished the regular season 15-1. He played in 14 games last season and the first two this season compiling a record of 6-10, including losing his last eight starts.
Since Kyle Allen took over as the starter, the Panthers have gone 7-1 dating back to last season and currently sit 5-3 and a half-game back of the final wild card spot in the NFC.
It doesn't make sense for the Panthers to bring back Newton as the starter whenever he does get healthy from his foot injury, which wouldn't be until next season anyways. Newton has one year left on his contract and a cap hit of $21 million for next season.
It would make the most sense for the Panthers to go ahead and trade Cam Newton.
Here are three teams that would make the most sense:
- BEARS- It's clear that Mitchell Trubisky is not the answer in Chicago. They have the weapons on offense to be a viable threat in the NFC North but they have regressed this year. Mightily. Cam does have is troubles with accuracy but he's a dual-threat quarterback who was able to get a 1,000 yard season out of Kelvin Benjamin. Give him Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen, and that defense, no reason this team can't win 10+ games.
- TITANS- Another team that's not happy with their No. 2 draft pick. Marcus Mariota has been benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill and the Titans have played better but Tannehill is not the solution. Pairing up Cam Newton and Derrick Henry in the backfield could prove difficult to stop and Cam would be able to get more out of the receivers than Mariota or Tannehill.
- BRONCOS- Cam is a better option than Joe Flacco and also more accurate. The Broncos did just trade Emmanuel Sanders but they still have decent offensive weapons in Phillip Lindsay, Courtland Sutton, and rookie tight end Noah Fant. An upgrade at quarterback would make the Broncos wild card contenders, even if just for a year.
Newton turns 31 in May and a long-term contract is not something teams will likely give him. A year to prove he's healthy from his foot injury and decent production wherever he goes could buy him another two-three year contract.
Will the Panthers trade him? Only time will tell. It seems safe to say that Kyle Allen is the future quarterback of the team, however, with Will Grier taking over that backup role.