The New England Patriots reportedly have not ruled out the resigning of veteran quarterback Cam Newton for next season. But with his poor play this season and the draft filled with tons of young and promising quarterbacks, Newton will likely not be their top free agent target.
Newton reportedly refuses to be a backup quarterback and wants any team that signs him to at least give him a shot to earn the starting job, but that doesn’t seem all too likely for the 31-year-old.
With the amount of talent in the league and an 8:10 TD to INT ratio in 2020, will we see Cam Newton in an NFL jersey next year? As a starter? Or a backup?
Here are the top three Cam Newton free agent destinations for the veteran quarterback and former 2015 NFL MVP in 2021 NFL Free Agency.
Cam Newton Free Agent Destinations
Washington Football Team
A team that certainly struggled all season long at the quarterback position was the Washington Football Team, as they started four different quarterbacks in 2020. The veteran returning to his former coach, Ron Rivera, makes the most sense here. Washington won the miserable NFC East this year and have promising talent on offense in Antonio Gibson, Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas, along with a stingy defense, so bringing in a veteran quarterback to get the job done seems to fit well.
Newton is by no means elite anymore and probably won’t ever show a flash of greatness again, but he is a safe and cheap option to sign if they don’t target a rookie quarterback in the draft.
New Orleans Saints
If Drew Brees does retire after this season, the New Orleans Saints would have a non-quarterback that’s listed atop the depth chart, Taysom Hill, and an impending free agent, post-Lasik surgery Jameis Winston, so the possibility of Newton getting a shot isn’t too low at all. Both Newton and Hill are rushing threats, but Newton arguably is the better passer and is a more dependable option in the long-run simply because of Hill’s inexperience.
The Saints are one of the last teams to sign unproductive and problematic players like Newton, but if they are hurting at the quarterback position with Brees pondering retirement, he could be a good one-year wonder to fill in for a season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Now, Newton would likely not be okay with being the backup to Ben Roethlisberger next season, but if Big Ben were to retire, it’d be quite an appealing option for Newton. The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of talent on offense and one of the best defenses in the league all while being coached by one of the best in Mike Tomlin, so a Newton signing could be solid. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick couldn’t make things work with Newton at quarterback, but the Steelers have plenty of options in both the running and passing game to lessen the dependence on Newton.
While this may not be the most likely destination for Newton during 2021 NFL Free Agency, but it’s fun to predict seeing him in a Steelers jersey the first season Big Ben isn’t under center.
