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After about a week of trying to find a trade partner for their former franchise quarterback, the Panthers are expected to release Cam Newton sometime later today. The Panthers recently signed Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal while also signing former XFL star PJ Walker on Monday. Carolina also sent Kyle Allen, the starter for most of 2019, to Washington for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Panthers pushed to make a trade with the Chargers ansd the Bears but neither team would budge. That shouldn’t be a surprise as the Panthers essentially tipped their hand by leaking that they would release Newton if a trade could not be made. So understandably, everyone just had to wait it out.
The #Panthers tried to send Cam Newton to the #Bears and #Chargers. They found no takers and at this point, no starting jobs available. Release was the only option. Carolina has just $2M in dead money with this release, but Cam is now free.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2020
The Chargers were a prime landing spot for Newton from the very beginning. They needed a new quarterback after mutually parting ways with Philip Rivers and Anthony Lynn has been successful in the past with mobile quarterbacks. While Lynn already has Tyrod Taylor on the roster, whom which he has an already established connection, Newton would have provided a more dynamic, albeit riskier, option for the Chargers offense.
While it’s unlikely the Chargers make a move for Newton after he’s released, it’s still not out of the realm of possibility. The Chargers have about $8.5 million left in usable cap space for free agency with the chance to make a few cuts to push that number to almost $12 million. But would that even be enough to lure a former MVP? Time will tell. But adding Newton to this team’s free agency haul would certainly be a move in the best interest of putting butts in seats at SoFi.