Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton trades before the 2020 NFL Draft
By Ian Higgins
After announcing the real possibility of Newton’s departure via trade this week, Carolina looks to move on to their next era. Who could get the former MVP?
As reported by Ian Rapoport, Carolina will be looking to trade Newton in a “large deal” this offseason, signifying the end of the ‘Newton Era’ and the dawn of the ‘Mccaffrey-Allen Era.’
The former number one overall selection out of Auburn has had a stellar career, breaking franchise (passing) and league (rushing) records throughout his tenure in Charlotte. As the epitome of a dual-threat quarterback with his freakish athleticism, Newton will still be a valuable commodity at 30 years old (31 entering the 2020 season).
Other quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson have redefined the concept of a dual-threat quarterback, going back to the playstyle of speed and agility over the power and strength of Newton.
A number of NFL franchises currently reside in ‘quarterback purgatory,’ either with soon-to-be-labeled busts or mediocre players who will not bring success in the near future. Large trade packages for franchise players have become more and more common with trades for superstars such as Jalen Ramsey and Odell Beckham Jr.
Newton is also currently on the tail-end of a six-year contract that has dwindled in value over the years when juxtaposed to the monster deals incurred by the likes of Derek Carr, Matt Stafford, and Jared Goff. Newton has one year left worth $18.6 million, nearly half of the contract of other competitive quarterbacks.
The only teams who would be willing to trade for Newton would likely be teams who are either: 1) in playoff contention and need a push under center to make the difference as a conference-contender 2) Current bottom-feeders who need to solidify their starting quarterback and build around him over the next 3-4 years (these teams will need to retain Newton after the 2020 season to keep their plans going strong).