It’s starting to feel like Cam Newton already has played his last down as a member of the Panthers.
Newton, who had been sidelined since Week 3 with a foot injury, was placed on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday. Carolina has won five of six games since Kyle Allen took over as starting quarterback, and it wouldn’t be at all shocking to see the franchise move forward with him under center, especially considering Newton only has one year remaining on his contract after 2019.
As such, the football world already has begun to speculate where Newton might take his talents next. We’ve heard both the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears suggested as possible landing spots, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano sees Newton winding up in Denver.
“(John) Elway’s next attempt to fix a quarterback is his boldest since Peyton Manning,” Graziano wrote. “Carolina releases Newton from the final year of his contract, saving $19.1 million in cap space it can apply to Christian McCaffrey’s new deal, and Elway signs the former MVP for the team that beat Newton in his lone Super Bowl appearance.”
The Broncos likely will be among the most QB-needy teams in the offseason. It’s safe to assume Joe Flacco doesn’t have a long-term future in the Mile High City, and while the Broncos took Drew Lock in the second round this past spring, it’s tough to imagine the 22-year-old taking the reins next season after spending his entire rookie campaign on IR. Even if the franchise does have big plans for Lock, Newton would be a high-upside option to fill the gap until the Missouri product is ready to go.
At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Newton also boasts the ideal size of a signal-caller Elway typically favors. The Broncos legend never has been afraid to make a big move, and there’s reason to believe Newton could be his next target.
