With Jameis Winston reportedly finalizing a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, where does that leave Cam Newton?
“Man, I really don’t know,” CBS Sports Network NFL analyst London Fletcher said on Tiki & Tierney. “I thought the Chargers would have been a viable option, but once they took Herbert, he’s no longer in play there. He’ll probably end up in a backup role also. It’s hard to say because where does Cam fit from a skillset [standpoint]? What team? It’s hard to say, ‘This is going to be a good fit for Cam Newton.’ I really can’t pinpoint one team.”
In 2015, Newton was NFL MVP and led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl. He’s still young – he turns 31 in May – but he may be relegated to holding a clipboard in 2020.
“The things that made Cam such a dynamic quarterback and an MVP of the league, he can’t do those things anymore,” Fletcher said. “He can’t run the football like he ran a couple years ago when he won an MVP because of the health issues that he’s had. So if you’re looking at Cam Newton and truly evaluating him at this stage of his career, he’s never been a tremendous pocket quarterback. I don’t expect him to all of a sudden get better now from the standpoint of being a drop-back pocket quarterback. He can’t do the things that made him so dynamic, so it’s going to be a tough fit for him.”
In fact, Newton may be unemployed unless or until another starting quarterback gets injured.
“Maybe it’s a situation where there’s an injury in camp and then all of a sudden [a team signs] him,” Fletcher speculated. “I think that would probably be the best-case scenario for Cam.”