Former MVP Cam Newton hasn’t stepped foot on an NFL field since he was released by the New England Patriots just days before the regular season. Now that Newton is vaccinated, it seems his chances of catching on with a team this season may have increased.
One of the primary reasons that have been speculated about as to why Newton is still a free agent has been his COVID-19 vaccination status. Now that it’s no longer an issue (if it indeed was), there may be a few teams lined up for a shot at the veteran QB. According to Odds Shark, the Seattle Seahawks are the favorites to land Newton, followed by the Washington Football Team and the Houston Texans.
Although it’s been reported the Seahawks did reach out to Cam, no signing has occurred, but Las Vegas still favors the Pacific Northwest team as the favorites to acquire his services. When it comes to the NFL, Sin City usually knows a lot before putting out these odds. But Seattle seems content to stick with Geno Smith as their QB with Russell Wilson on injured reserve.
The Seahawks wouldn’t need to spend much money pursuing Newton and wouldn’t have to promise him anything regarding the starter’s role. There’s been a narrative around Cam not being capable of performing in a backup QB role. This is all just speculation, as he’s never had the opportunity to show anyone he can be a backup. That was another speculated piece to the puzzle in New England behind the timing of his release. There was the thought that Newton wouldn’t be happy as the backup to Mac Jones, but he never got the chance to show us either way.
As much as Cam has seemingly declined over the past couple of years, I still think he could go into Seattle and take the starting job from Smith until Wilson is ready to return. Once Wilson is back, Newton knows whose franchise it is, and I don’t think he’d put up a fuss about heading back to the bench. I don’t think the Seahawks have much to lose in giving Newton a chance. If he acts up, send him packing.
Washington and Houston are second and third in terms of odds to land Newton. The Football Team has struggled so far and is coached by Newton’s former coach in Carolina, Ron Rivera. There hasn’t been much interest shown publicly by Washington, but now that Newton is vaccinated, this could open a window for him. Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in the summer of 2020. Newton landing in Washington is probably unlikely but still worth keeping an eye on.
Houston is still figuring out what to do with Deshaun Watson, but if they find a trade partner soon, I could see them looking at Newton for the rest of the season. But we’ll see what happens. It sounds like Cam has some options now, so I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before we see dancing on an NFL field again. Even if it’s only in warm-ups before the game.
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