Let me start off by saying I love Cam Newton as a Panthers fan. He won a MVP and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015. When he is healthy, he is my favorite QB to watch in the league. Ideally, Allen would lead the Panthers to wins against the 49ers and Titans. Then Cam would come back and wreck the Redskins and lead the Panthers to another Super Bowl. The ideal result rarely happens with my professional sports’ teams Ex: Kemba and the Hornets. From everything I have read about Cam, he is a hard-worker, great father, and team player. Kyle Allen has said Cam has been helpful since Allen has been starting. I am saying all this to say I will miss him if he is traded, but I think it may be the best move for my favorite NFL franchise and here is why:
- He may never be healthy again. Cam has almost 1,000 designed rushing attempts in his career as a Panther. That does not include his QB hits as a Panther, sacks as a Panther, and all the hits he took while winning the Heisman at Auburn. The Panthers utilized/ran Cam into the ground in the pursuit of a Super Bowl. CMC is seemingly getting that treatment this season. Not saying it is a bad thing, but it is a reality in the NFL. Players wear out quicker when they are used more. Shocking I know. Kyle Allen’s best years are ahead of him. Cam’s are seemingly not.
- David Tepper, the owner of the Panthers, did not draft Cam Newton. Will Grier was drafted in the 3rd round of this year’s draft by the Panthers. Carolina and Tepper already realized Cam was declining in health before his lisfranc injury this preseason that was re-aggravated against the Buccaneers. Cam said he couldn’t run during the first two weeks of this season. The Panthers didn’t draft Will Grier to play this year. Kyle Allen was forced into action because of Cam’s injury and him having more experience than Will. Tepper and Rivera know Cam isn’t going to last forever and that is proven by the Panthers using a 3rd round pick on a QB this offseason. Kyle Allen is 4-0 as a starter and hasn’t thrown an interception. Is that enough to put the franchise in his hands?
- $21.1 million. If Cam Newton is traded before next season, the Panthers will have an extra $21.1 million to spend on other key players like Christian McCaffrey, Shaq Thompson, Gerald McCoy, Mario Addison, and a new TE with Greg Olsen moving to the booth after this season. The “formula” that got the Seahawks (2013 and 2014), Rams (2019), and Panthers (2015) to the Super Bowl was a cheap QB on a rookie contract so you can ball out and splurge on the defense and offensive playmakers. Panthers already have a great defense and playmakers, but signing 1 or 2 more pieces would make them the cream of the crop in the NFL.
- Panthers have been drafting well of late. The Vikings gave up a 1st and a 4th for Sam Bradford not too long ago. The Panthers have hit on almost all of their high draft picks. If Carolina can get some high draft picks for Cam, they would have to consider it.
Now that we know why the Panthers would even think about trading one of their best players in franchise history.. The Panthers have a history of getting rid of franchise cornerstones. Julius Peppers, Steve Smith and more recently, Ryan Kalil and Thomas Davis.
Let’s look at who would want him..
- Da Bears. During his 3rd season, JaMarcus Russell’s YPA was 5.23. He never played in the NFL again after that. That same year (2009), Brady Quinn was at 5.23 YPA. He didn’t throw a pass again until 2012. Mitchell Trubisky is at 5.24 YPA in his 3rd season right now. The Bears are a QB away from making a Super Bowl in many people’s eyes. Mitch could still be a good NFL QB, but he hasn’t shown that this season. Newton could be a 1 to 2 year stop gap for a team with one of the best defenses in football.
- Broncos. I don’t think he is tall or pale enough for John Elway, but Cam would deff make Denver better for the foreseeable future. Even if Cam can’t run, Flacco can’t either.
- Dolphins. Miami are clearly tanking for Tua, but Cam could start over Tua for a year like Alex Smith and Mahomes. The Dolphins have the draft picks to make it happen.
- Redskins. Same as Miami. Haskins is a young QB that could learn a lot playing behind Cam.
- Raiders. Gruden and Carr don’t get along, I don’t care what they said during Hard Knocks. Raiders have the draft picks and Gruden clearly likes to trade.
- Titans. Mariota and Tannehill don’t seem to be the answer for head coach Mike Vrabel. Titans have solid players on both sides of the ball, but lack a QB.
- Teams I forgot.
It is not an easy decision to make. I already listed my ideal scenario as a Panthers fan above. I just think if there is a strong offer for Cam Newton, it could make the Panthers a lot better in 3-5 years to trade him now than keep him.