After being released by the Patriots, it appeared Cam Newton would have to wait for an injury to another quarterback in order to latch on with a new team.
Well, there’s a chance Newton might not have to wait terribly long.
Ryan Fitzpatrick exited his Washington Football Team debut early Sunday due to a hip injury. Newton immediately came to the minds of football fans and media members alike after Fitzpatrick went down, as the 2015 NFL MVP spent nearly a decade in Carolina with WFT head coach Ron Rivera.
During NBC’s broadcast of “Sunday Night Football,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio provided an update on Fitzpatrick and noted a potential difference-maker in Washington’s decision to look into Newton.
“Well, the concern is the ball of that hip joint may have come out of the socket. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow. I’m told it looks like he will be out for a bit,” Florio said. “The name that everyone’s going to pay attention to then is Cam Newton. Coach Ron Rivera, who was with Newton for nine years in Carolina, it’s gonna be his call at the end of the day. I’m told the thing to watch (is) how did things end between Newton and Rivera and other Panthers coaches who are now in Washington? That’ll be a key factor in whether they warm up to the idea of bringing in Cam Newton if Fitzpatrick is going to be out for a long time.”
Washington doesn’t really need Newton, as the two QBs behind Fitzpatrick on the depth chart — Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen — both are serviceable. But perhaps Rivera believes he’d be able to recapture some magic with the three-time Pro Bowl selection.
