We’re roughly three months away from the start of the 2020 NFL season, and Cam Newton still is without a job.
Newton has been a free agent since late March when he was released by the Carolina Panthers. While a handful of teams made sense as landing spots for Newton upon his release, it doesn’t appear as though any had serious interest in the 2015 NFL MVP.
So, why is it Newton still lingers on the open market? After all, he just turned 31 a few weeks ago and only is two seasons removed from logging 28 total touchdowns. Newton’s former coach, Ron Rivera, believes health is the leading factor at play.
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing, more than anything else,” Rivera told FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, as transcribed by Yahoo Sports. “You’ve got to know. The foot and the shoulder will be the two biggest concerns everybody has.”
A Lisfranc fracture limited Newton to just two games last season. While Rivera has been told Newton now looks “great,” teams have been unable to bring the three-time Pro Bowl selection in for a medical evaluation due to coronavirus-related restrictions. Once said restrictions have been lifted league-wide, perhaps Newton’s market will begin to heat up a bit.
At this point, however, it sure seems like Newton will have to settle for a backup role.
