It’s not every day that a former MVP quarterback is available on the open market and willing to accept a role as a backup.
Following a nine-year tenure with the Panthers in which he earned Rookie of the Year, three Pro Bowl selections, an All-Pro nod, an MVP award and an NFC title in 2015, Cam Newton is still available for the taking in free agency.
Newton’s lingering on the open market is due in large part to injury concerns. He missed most of 2019 with a Lisfranc fracture in his foot and is only a little more than a year removed from shoulder surgery. Considering Newton’s age (30) and the beating his body has taken over the years, it’s worth wondering how much he has left in the tank.
Despite the injuries Newton has dealt with over the years, he is suited perfectly for a backup role. He would not be exposed to contact as often since he would only be appearing in relief duty, which would preserve his body and afford him a bit of longevity in the league. A year spent making a positive contribution as a backup could also provide Newton with the opportunity to return to a spot in the starting lineup for a quarterback-needy team in 2021.
Newton initially entered free agency insisting he remain a starter, but with no such jobs available, he recently said he was open to a backup job. With that in mind, could the Jets be a fit?
Beyond Sam Darnold, the Jets’ quarterback depth chart is suspect. James Morgan has developing to do before he can be looked at as a reliable backup, while David Fales has little professional experience and Mike White is nothing more than a training camp body.
In a perfect world, Newton is an ideal backup for Darnold. However, it’s hard to believe that a marriage between the Jets and the former MVP would work out.
This has nothing to do with Newton’s ability or talent as a football player. He would bring a unique skillset and the ability to produce on the spot if Darnold were to go down with an injury. It has everything to do with the personalities already at One Jets Drive.
Throughout his time in Carolina, the Panthers molded their offense to play to Newton’s strengths. That means a lot of run-pass options and designed quarterback runs — things that are not abundant in Adam Gase’s playbook. Considering Gase’s smartest guy in the room persona and overall stubbornness, it’s safe to assume he is set in his ways and would not entertain the idea of catering to anyone or anything when it comes to his playcalling.
Newton is an extremely smart quarterback. He understands defenses and complex coverages. He is also not afraid to speak his mind and let his opinion on an offensive scheme be known. Gase and Newton in the same building would mean two extremely strong-minded people with unique personalities interacting on a daily basis. If these two strong minds disagree on anything, even the smallest of details, it would not be crazy to think some sort of blowup will occur at some point in the year.
That’s not to say Newton has a volatile personality and he cannot be coached. When you combine a veteran quarterback who has had a lot of success in the NFL and has played a certain way his whole career with a coach who is deadset on running his offense his way, there is going to be an issue at some point in the season. That’s just common sense.
The Jets cannot afford to deal with a rift between a backup quarterback and a head coach. Gase’s first year with New York was filled with turmoil and that was a big reason why things did not go as planned. A second consecutive year of that would be disastrous.
Newton has everything the Jets are looking for in a backup quarterback, but this is just is not the right situation for him based on the personalities in the building.