The Carolina Panthers reportedly plan to release Cam Newton on Tuesday, the decision coming just a week after the team made him available for trade. The decision to release Newton comes after the Panthers reportedly were unable to work out a deal with the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Chargers, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Carolina’s decision to release the former NFL MVP doesn’t come as a surprise. Many teams around the NFL expected Newton to be released within the near future and the trade market for the Pro Bowl quarterback’s talents confirmed that.
The Panthers found no takers for Newton when they inquired with multiple teams in the market for a quarterback. While Newton is still a talented player, he is still recovering from ankle surgery. Given NFL teams now can’t conduct physicals for the foreseeable future, the inability to exam Newton’s surgically-repaired ankle and monitor his recovery wiped out any chance of a trade.
The Bears will likely be out on Newton even when he hits the open market. After trading a fourth-round pick for Nick Foles, Chicago committed itself to a quarterback battle between Foles and Mitchell Trubisky.
The Washington Redskins were once considered the favorites to land Newton, reuniting him with head coach Ron Rivera. However, Washington agreed to send a fifth-round pick to Carolina for quarterback Kyle Allen. The Redskins will likely now move forward with Allen backing up Dwayne Haskins for the 2020 season.
It leads the Chargers as the most likely destination for Newton’s services. The team needs a star to draw in fans next season, which has been a major problem since the move to Los Angeles. Newton will attract plenty of fans and media attention, while also providing the Chargers with an upgrade over Tyrod Taylor.
It might take some time before Newton signs, due to NFL teams not being able to examine him. But the 30-year-old quarterback should still find an opportunity to prove he is healthy and can play at a high level entering his age-31 season.