The quarterback carousel is moving rapidly by the second and Cam Newton is front and center as his split with the Carolina Panthers went public in ugly fashion yesterday afternoon. The Panthers signed free agent Teddy Bridgewater to a three year, $63 million deal to be their starting quarterback for the 2020 NFL season and potentially beyond. Right around the same time, Newton was utilizing obscure Instagram fonts to call out the Panthers organization for “manipulating the narrative.” Cam Newton is a former NFL MVP with an injury history, making him a fascinating case study for the teams looking to fill the quarterback position. Let’s take a peek at a few potential destinations and their respective odds to sign Newton via various betting sites.
With the news of Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots to link up with Bruce Arians and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coach Bill Belichick is faced with having to find a starting quarterback for the first time since he took over in Foxborough. The Patriots are currently around +500 to land Cam Newton at most books, but between the lingering foot injury and Belichick’s desire to presumably start fresh in the post-Brady era, my guess is that someone like Andy Dalton or a return of Jacoby Brissett make more sense under the assumption that New England drafts a quarterback early in the NFL Draft. In the end, the 5-1 odds on Newton being traded to the Patriots are not nearly as enticing as some of the other potential landing spots we will explore below.
The Washington Redskins have their quarterback of the future in former Ohio State standout, Dwayne Haskins. At least, that’s what we all assumed. However, recently there have been some rumblings that people within the Washington organization haven’t been overly impressed with Haskins work ethic or production during his limited opportunity as a starter last season. New head coach Ron Rivera has inherited Haskins, so there’s certainly a possibility he’s not enamored with Haskins and might look to upgrade at the position. Now while Rivera is obviously familiar with Cam Newton from their time together in Carolina, he also has direct knowledge of the severity of Newton’s foot injury. I suspect that the Redskins stick with Plan A, give Haskins a chance in year two while drafting Chase Young with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Even if Rivera and Washington pivot away from Haskins, I think drafting Tua Tagovailoa in a move similar to what Arizona did last year with Kyler Murray is more likely than a scenario where they trade for Cam Newton at this stage of his career. The Redskins odds to sign Newton are +750 on MyBookie and FanDuel, so if you do think Cam winds up in the nation’s capital, it is important you shop around for the best possible number.
Update: The Redskins traded for Kyle Allen following the original release of this article on March 18th.
The favorite in the clubhouse to land Cam Newton according to consensus betting sites is none other than the Miami Dolphins at +200. The Dolphins have been linked with many quarterbacks this offseason, and Newton now offers the perfect opportunity for them to give him an extended interview without giving up any draft capital.
Update: A previous version of this article said that the Bears were the leader in the clubhouse to sign Newton
Chicago were the leaders in the clubhouse to sign Newton but their trade for Nick Foles has seen them fall out of consideration with most books. Jonathan Jones of CBSSports reported that the Panthers and Bears had discussions about the much-maligned quarterback, which was confirmed in a tweet by Ian Rapoport.
My personal recommendation is to grab the Los Angeles Chargers at +350 on MyBookie as the best bet odds to sign Newton over the course of the next week or so. If you follow us on @pfnbets, you would know that Cam Newton landing with the Chargers was available at +300 last week before the odds shortened. Our own PFN Insiders suggested back in December to keep an eye out for the Chargers as a potential fit for Newton in 2020. Anthony Lynn’s squad is just two years removed from a 12-4 season in which they challenged the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West division crown. Los Angeles has an underrated defense which includes several versatile pass rushers and a stud safety in Derwin James. The Chargers have numerous offensive weapons and were clearly held back by a rapidly declining Philip Rivers.
The question in the end will be the same one facing any franchise that acquires Cam Newton’s services: what is his current health status? I suspect the Chargers take a shot on Newton with the idea that they also look to draft his heir apparent at some point in the early rounds of the NFL draft. Even if father time slows down Cam’s mobility, perhaps they believe his recovery from the foot injury will allow Newton to improve his accuracy when his body is no longer overcompensating. Either way, someone is going to take a shot on Newton and I believe the Chargers currently provide the best value on the board.