Things are moving fast for the Carolina Panthers. According to a release by the team, they are allowing franchise quarterback Cam Newton to seek a trade. Here’s what general manager Marty Hurney had to say about the news in the official statement.
“One of the distinct pleasures of my career was selecting Cam with the first pick in the 2011 draft. . . Every year difficult decisions are made and they are never easy. We have been working with Cam and his agent to find the best fit for him moving forward and he will always be a Carolina Panther in our hearts.”
Any trade scenario will depend a great deal on how healthy potential trade partners believe Newton really is. He missed 14 games in 2019 due to a Lisfranc injury and he struggled for half of 2018 due to a recurring shoulder issue.
For what it’s worth, the shoulder looks good. Last weekend, Newton posted a video to his Instagram account of him throwing at the team’s practice facility. His throwing motion appears to be on point, but obviously we can only learn so much from a few brief clips.
As for what it means for the direction of the franchise, this just adds to the confusion. Yesterday, Yahoo Sports reported the team was looking for a “mixed reboot” rather than a total rebuild. Trading away a former MVP quarterback qualifies as much more of a rebuilding move, though.
Newton is entering the final year of his contract. His base salary is $18.6 million for 2020.
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