The Carolina Panthers are looking to move on from longtime franchise quarterback Cam Newton according to multiple sources including Sports Illustrated. They have made teams aware that they are willing to trade Newton and are looking for a large return for his services.
In 125 career games, Newton has a completion percentage of 59.6 percent with an average of 7.3 yards a throw.
He has 182 career touchdowns, 108 interceptions, and 29 041 throwing yards. Newton can also run the ball himself too as he rushes for an average of 5.1 yards a run in 934 attempts with 58 rushing touchdowns.
Newton was the Panthers' first overall selection in the 2011 draft and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2016 where they lost to Peyton Manning's Broncos. He also was the league's MVP in the 2015-16 season and has been selected to three Pro Bowl games.
In recent years, Newton has been dealing with injuries which include an injured right shoulder. While he has played through pain in his shoulder, he has been a limited participant in practices in the last few years.
He has also been sidelined with a foot injury which has limited him to two games this season and is expected to undergo surgery on his injured foot in the offseason.
When Newton is healthy, he is one of the better quarterbacks in the league but it would be hard to rely on him with his lengthy injury history. Newton is under contract for one more season after this one for $18.6 million which limits potential suitors to teams who are just a game-changing quarterback away from taking the next step. Here are the teams that could get Newton and what they would give up for him.
Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers get: Newton
Panthers get: LB Kyzir White, 2020 fourth-round pick and 2021 third-round pick
The Chargers have Philip Rivers as their QB but he has struggled this season and the Chargers even talked about benching him.
If they were to get Newton, he could provide a better presence at quarterback and change things for the Chargers. The Chargers would have to give up a young linebacker in Kyzir White and two draft picks for Newton.
With Rivers being a free agent after this season, the Chargers will have an opening at QB. With Rivers struggling this season and at the age of 38, the Rivers era with the Chargers is done and it's time for both parties to move on. If the Chargers were to get a better QB than Rivers, they could potentially be a playoff team which is where Newton can come in. They have a solid RB-WR-TE tandem in Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry and if Newton were to land with the Chargers, he could potentially make the Chargers second wide receiver, Mike Williams, a better player as he struggled this year.
As Newton is under contract for one more year and is over the age of 30, what the Chargers could do is have Newton be their QB for the 2020-21 season and draft a QB with one of their first three picks in the 2020 draft so the QB they draft can take over the next season and have a full season to learn from a former MVP QB in Newton.
The main piece the Panthers would be getting is White who looks like he's set to get better each year. In his rookie season last year, he recorded 16 tackles (11 solo) and an interception in just three games and so far this season he has tackled 28 players (16 solo) and an interception while appearing in all games. He is 23 years old. In addition to White, the Panthers would get two picks with the higher pick (third-rounder) coming in the 2021 draft.
Chicago Bears
Bears get: Newton
Panthers get: TE Jesper Horsted, 2020 fourth-round pick, 2021 third-round pick, and 2022 fifth-round pick
The Bears are in the right situation regarding Newton: They are a good team that's missing that quarterback to push them into the playoffs. To get Newton, they will have to pay a bit of a price that consists of TE Jesper Horsted and three draft picks.
Before the season, current Bear's QB Mitchell Trubisky was expected to be a breakout candidate by many but he hasn't exactly been great this season. He started off poorly but has picked up his game recently but the Bears' chances of returning to the playoffs are slim. The Bears could acquire Newton and have Trubisky serve as his backup in case Newton gets injured or can't find his form.
The Panthers would get a TE in Horsted who can be the TE2 for the Panthers next season and eventually replace Greg Olsen as the Panthers TE1 as Olsen's contract is up next season. With the Panthers ushering in a new era, if they were to get Horsted, Olsen can be traded to a different team for picks which would immediately insert Horsted as the TE1. In his first season, Horsted has caught six passes for 58 yards and one touchdown in three games. The Panthers would also get a pick from the Bears for the next three years.
Tennessee Titans
Titans get: Newton
Panthers get: DB Dane Cruikshank, 2020 second-round pick and 2021 third-round pick
The Titans QB situation is a little awkward. The Titans seem to be done with the 2015 second overall pick in Marcus Mariota but backup QB Ryan Tannehill has propelled the Titans season around and the Titans are talking about offering him an extension to stick around and make him their starting QB for the future.
What they could do is go a bit of a safer route and acquire Newton where they would give up defensive back Dane Cruikshank and two draft picks.
As Mariota is almost guaranteed to be out of Tennessee after this season, the Titans have a bit of uncertainty with the quarterback position. Tannehill has had a nice bounceback season throwing for just under 2000 yards in nine games with a completion percentage of 73.4 percent along with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Even with the season that Tannehill is having, there's no guarantee that he'll continue that success next season or in the future as a full-time starter. He hasn't thrown for more than 3000 yards since 2015 or for more than 20 touchdowns since 2015 as well.
Acquiring Newton may be the better option as he's a year younger than Tannehill and is more reliable. If the Titans were to acquire Newton and he does well, they could use the money that they were going to sign Tannehill to an extension with and have it go towards signing Newton to an extension.
Cruikshank hasn't been anything special in his brief NFL career. He has 18 career tackles but he's young (24) and is described as versatile and athletic who could potentially switch to a different position like safety or cornerback if needed. For taking on a player like Cruikshank who's in need of more development, the Panthers would receive two high draft picks in a second-round pick in 2020 and a third-round pick in 2021.
Indianapolis Colts
Colts get: Newton
Panthers get: LB Marvell Tell III, 2020 third-round pick, 2020 fourth-round pick, and 2021 sixth-round pick
The Colts have Jacoby Brissett at QB who's serviceable but if they really want to elevate this team to the next level, they should consider acquiring Newton from the Panthers. If the Panthers were to trade Newton to the Colts, they would receiver linebacker Marvell Tell III and three draft picks.
When Andrew Luck announced his surprising retirement before the 2019-20 season, the Colts signed previous backup QB Jacoby Brissett to a two year, $30 million deal. While Brissett has been fine this season, getting Newton in a Colts uniform behind center would take this team into an immediate Super Bowl contender.
The Colts have immense offensive depth and a solid defensive unit that make them a strong team. Another benefit for Newton playing with the Colts is that the Colts have the best offensive line in the game which will prevent him from taking a lot of hard hits which will lead to fewer injuries. The Colts also have the most cap space in the league so if Newton does well, they can sign him to an extension while also having money to sign others to extensions like star offensive guard Anthony Castonzo.
In his rookie season, Marvell Tell III has 18 tackles and one forced fumble and he's only 23 years old. He was the Colts fifth-round selection in the 2019 draft. The three picks the Panthers would get include a third and fourth-round selection in 2020 and a sixth-round selection in 2021.