Tom Brady was the first big domino to fall in the quarterback carousel, with the news that he was going to continue his football journey with a new organization. But he will certainly not be the last. News came out Tuesday morning that the Carolina Panthers were letting Cam Newton and his representatives seek a trade:
Newton seemed to confirm this on Instagram, with his patented typeface:
Given this, what are some possible destinations?
Chicago Bears
It is no secret that the Chicago Bears are looking to at least give embattled starter Mitchell Trubisky some competition at the quarterback spot. Despite assembling a talented defense around Khalil Mack, the Bears have struggled to take advantage of the “rookie quarterback window” with Trubisky and as as such, are looking to address the quarterback position.
Salary cap limitations in Chicago have made the search for a new quarterback somewhat difficult. The Bears have been linked to players such as Teddy Bridgewater, but with Chicago entering free agency with just over $4 million dollars in cap space (according to OverTheCap.com) a trade might be a more reasonable means of acquiring a quarterback.
That quarterback could be Newton.
Schematically, the fit might be a big difficult. Newton has spent most of his career in a more downfield passing offense, although in recent years Norv Turner seemed to adjust his vertical approach with more of a run/pass option flavor, which catered to some of Newton’s strengths as a passer:
These are designs that Matt Nagy certainly has in his playbook, and if an agreement could be reached, Newton would be an upgrade over Trubisky.
Cincinnati Bengals
This one would probably be more of a stunner than Chicago.
The Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2020 NFL Draft holding the first overall selection, and in all likelihood that means they are holding the keys to the Joe Burrow castle. The “Rise of Burrow” is real, the growth that the LSU passer showed over the past season is testament to what he can bring to an NFL franchise. He checks many of the boxes teams are looking for, from his accuracy to his pocket toughness through his mental composure.
What would it take for the Bengals to pass that up?
From Carolina’s point of view, acquiring the chance to draft Burrow makes a great deal of sense. Burrow’s rise coincided with Joe Brady serving as LSU’s passing game coordinator, and under his guidance the Tigers’ offense became more of a passing-based offense, with empty protection schemes and route concepts pulled from Sean Payton’s West Coast offense. Obviously, getting the chance to reunite Brady with Burrow makes sense from a Panthers’ perspective.
But what about the Bengals? You could make the case that Cincinnati is closer to contention than we think. Offensively, Joe Mixon is a weapon at the running back spot, and if A.J. Green is healthy they have some talented weapons on the outside with Green, John Ross and Tyler Boyd. Some offensive line acquisitions, and the offense is in good shape around whomever is under center. They have cap space as well, so they can use that to bolster the OL along with the linebackers and secondary on the defensive side of the ball.
It is a long-shot, but one that seems a tiny bit more likely with each passing day.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Schematically, this might make the most sense from Newton’s perspective. Having spent the bulk of his time in the NFL in a vertical-based offense, under Mike Shula and Turner, the adjustment to life under Bruce Arians would be minimal.
There are obviously two big stumbling blocks to such a move. First, is the Tom Brady factor. With Brady’s announcement that he is moving on from New England, it is expected that Tampa Bay is a likely destination for his services. That might make Newton more of a Plan B from the Buccaneers’ perspective.
Then there is this question of whether Carolina would be willing to trade him within the division. It is hard to remember an instance of a team trading a starting quarterback within their own division – Bill Belichick trading Drew Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills does come to mind – but would Matt Rhule and the Panthers be willing to make such a move? It might depend on the compensation, and having the 14th overall selection as a starting point might make it more enticing.
Los Angeles Chargers
It is assumed that the Los Angeles Chargers are going to be in on a rookie quarterback, and they have been linked with everyone from Tua Tagovailoa to Justin Herbert to Jordan Love during this pre-draft cycle. But depending on how they view those rookie passers, and more importantly how quickly they believe any of them could see the field, they might want to make a move for a more veteran passer who can take command on Week 1.
That passer could be Newton.
Schematically, this could work as well. The Chargers’ new offensive coordinator, Scott Steichen, has his roots in a Coryell system, having cut his teeth as a coach under Rob Chudzinski, another Coryell disciple. That would put Newton in a familiar offense, and if the Chargers did indeed acquire a rookie passer, they could give that player time to grow.
Alternatively, they could forgo the rookie quarterback option altogether and simply make a run with Newton. Remember, this is a team just a season removed from a run to the Divisional Round, and many thought the 2018-2019 Chargers were that proverbial “team no one wants to face in the playoffs.” Perhaps the wear of back-to-back trips east in the playoffs took their toll more than anything else. Reloading around Newton and what they have defensively could make them competitive sooner than we think.
New England Patriots
Look. We’re all thinking it.
The Brady news certainly opens up a quarterback-sized hole on the Patriots’ roster, and could Bill Belichick actually fill that by acquiring a veteran passer?
There is a potential compensation piece in place. On Monday the Patriots placed the franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney. The Panthers are expected to lose left guard Greg Van Roten in free agency, and Thuney was one of the most sought-after guards on the free agent market. Belichick has traded guards before to the NFC South, as he did with Logan Mankins back in 2014. The Patriots could slide Isaiah Wynn to left guard, draft a tackle, and look to reload around Newton. The Panthers would have a guard to serve as a cornerstone of their interior offensive line, and would likely acquire some additional draft capital as well to use around their new shiny rookie quarterback.
Schematically, the Patriots would need to tailor their offense more to what Newton does, but Belichick has been rumored to want more athleticism from his next quarterback. Newton would certainly bring that aspect to New England if such a trade took place.
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