Five Trade Destinations For Cam Newton

The Carolina Panthers have a dilemma.

By the end of Week 2, many of us wrote them off. Then, a 23 year old from Texas A&M took the reigns from an injured Cam Newton and hasn’t looked back.

Since taking over for the former league MVP in Week 3, all that Kyle Allen and the Panthers have done is win. In his four starts, the Panthers are 4-0, averaging 356 yards per game, scoring 31 points per game, and are right in the mix of the NFC playoff race. In addition to that, Allen is completing nearly 66 percent of his passes while throwing for 901 yards, 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. Since taking over, he has given this offense life and hope.

While this has worked out great for Carolina, this does bring us back to the aforementioned dilemma; what do they do with Cam Newton? The team has already announced that Kyle Allen will be getting his fifth start this Sunday at San Francisco. On top of that, if Cam were to be dealt or waived by the Panthers before next season, it would save Carolina $19.1 million in cap. We have already seen big names dealt this season, so why not one more? It is time for Superman to fly over a new city, and there are quite a few teams that could use his services; five to be exact.

5. Cincinnati Bengals: 

This may not be what Cam would want necessarily, but this would make sense for the Bengals. What more do they need to see from Andy Dalton? Where is he taking them? Nowhere. Off-loading Andy Dalton to a team who needs a bridge quarterback and getting a draft pick or two in return could help their current rebuild. Adding Cam would improve the offense, and also give Cam a fresh start.

The Bengals could trade Dalton for a fourth round and a seventh round pick, and then send Carolina a second round pick with a solid player, such as John Ross or a guy like Carlos Dunlap. We could even see A.J Green become a Panther in this situation, as his name has floated around trade rumors. This would give the Bengals the last three years of good Cam Newton and they could use the draft to focus on fixing their offensive line and their secondary. When the times comes, they could draft a quarterback to sit behind Cam and take over when ready. 

4. Tennessee Titans: 

Tennessee feels like a great fit for Cam. They have good, young skill position players, a great offensive line, and a good defense. The only thing they are missing to make them a real threat is a quarterback. They have been a run first team since Marcus Mariota got there, but it’s clear his time is up. Cam has thrived in the run game his entire career. Having Newton and Derrick Henry together could be electric. Plus, giving Cam young guys like Corey Davis, A.J Brown, and Adam Humphries to throw to could take Newton to the next level. If the Titans were to offer a second round pick, a fifth round pick,  and a solid linebacker like Wesley Woodyard, who says no?

3. Denver Broncos: 

It’s very well documented that John Elway’s track record for drafting and signing quarterbacks is sub-par. The latest feather in the bad quarterback cap is Joe Flacco, and it has been bad. They have no excitement on offense, they are very vanilla, their offensive line needs fixed, and Flacco is a statue that is easy to get to in the pocket. The thing is, though, they have real talent on offense. Phillip Lindsay was a surprise last year at running back, and Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton are good young receivers. The only thing holding the offense back is their quarterback. Flacco has been mediocre for years, but Elway still brought him in.

What would trading for Newton hurt? Denver has already been active in the trade market, sending receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth round pick to the 49ers for a third and fourth round pick. What if Denver were to offer Von Miller for Cam? At that point, I actually think Denver could expect draft picks along with that deal. So, maybe we’d see Cam and a second round pick and a sixth round pick for Von Miller and a fourth round pick? Something of that sort. I think it would be very interesting, it would benefit both teams, and it makes sense.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers: 

The Steelers’ defense has been great this season, but is being held back by their lack of explosiveness on offense. They currently rank 28th in total offense, something that Cam could help with astronomically. Having him run read option plays with James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, and Benny Snell would make the run game more unpredictable. The passing game has been painful to watch, as well. Besides the occasional deep throw to rookie Diontae Johnson, the Steelers have been very dip-and-dunk. A lot of this has to do with the conservative play-calling with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges at the helm. Would offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner give more freedom to Cam? Almost certainly.

Pittsburgh could be open to trading safety Sean Davis or linebackers Vince Williams and Bud Dupree. Pairing one of these three players with a third and fourth round pick might get the job done, but keep in mind, they already traded their first and fifth round picks to the Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick, so that may dissuade them from moving more draft capitol. That said, having a competent quarterback would make the Steelers playoff contenders in a less-than-impressive group of AFC teams in the mix. If this were to happen, Cam would undoubtedly be on another team the following season, but the Steelers would have a real shot at getting into the playoffs if this offense can take off, and Cam could be the piece that does that.

1. Chicago Bears: 

The Bears would be an immediate Super Bowl contender with Cam Newton. Mitchell Trubisky has regressed dramatically, and the Bears are afraid to let him sling the ball. This Bears team reminds me a lot of the Jaguars from 2017; a superb, out of this world defense being held back by a lackluster quarterback. The Jags were terrified of giving the ball to Blake Bortles. It is clear that the Bears feel similarly about Trubisky. and that is the reason they are sitting at 3-3.

In 2015 when the Panthers went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl, they had the sixth best defense in the NFL in terms of total yards allowed. Offensively, Cam relied on Greg Olsen and four okay receivers. The Bears currently have the tenth ranked defense in football, and a variety of weapons on offense. If you’re the Bears, you need to be in win now mode. You cannot waste the prime years of this amazing defense. They don’t have time to hope and pray Mitchell Trubisky pans out, they need a guy to make the plays they need to win.

Giving up a second round pick, a fifth round pick and a guy like Taylor Gabriel or Mike Davis would be a no-brainer right now. It makes sense for the Panthers, too. They have reached their peak with Cam as their quarterback. If Kyle Allen is their guy, then they get draft picks and a solid player in return. If he isn’t, then you draft or sign a guy who you think will be or can be developed into being the next franchise quarterback.

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