One of the travesties this offseason is former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton being out of a job. With a new coaching staff in Carolina and Newton having a few down seasons, the pair parting this offseason was inevitable. But with the 2020 regular season quickly approaching, many are wondering where the 2015 NFL MVP will end up this year. For at least one oddsmaker, the Baltimore Ravens are among the favorites.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Baltimore has the sixth-best odds of signing Newton. Though the Ravens have the mobile Lamar Jackson at quarterback, seemingly making Baltimore an ideal fit, the idea doesn’t make much sense if you think about it for too long.
First and foremost is the financial aspect. At this point in the offseason, Newton is going to be forced into a backup job if he signs anywhere, barring a sudden injury freeing up a starting spot. Though Newton is open to the idea, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, quarterback is the most expensive position in the league. Even Andy Dalton, who was in a similar position as Newton this offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, is on the books for $3 million in 2020.
The Ravens have $10.02 million in available salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap. But with a few more draft picks to sign and more depth needed at far shallower positions, Baltimore is effectively cash strapped right now. Giving a fifth quarterback $3 million for a single year would simply be a waste of money unless the Ravens were planning on cutting or trading Robert Griffin III while having no confidence in Trace McSorley to be Jackson’s backup. Suddenly and completely blowing up the depth chart shortly before training camp isn’t exactly the type of move Baltimore makes, and while it’s certainly possible, it’s pretty far from plausible.
But for the sake of the argument, let’s assume the Ravens pick up a real-life monopoly card and find themselves with an extra $3 million from the couch cushions and in the mood to sign yet another backup quarterback. In that far-fetched scenario, why would Baltimore want to sign a guy coming off yet another surgery (foot) at a time when getting a physical is far tougher? Why would the Ravens want a backup quarterback who has had four surgeries in the span of six years, including two shoulder surgeries and a foot surgery just since 2017?
The case can be made Newton is finally healthy after all those surgeries, and that in a backup role he’ll be far less likely to sustain another injury. But it would be a pretty large risk regardless and one that makes even less sense with two established and healthy backups already on the roster in Griffin and McSorley.
Furthermore, why would Newton want to join the Ravens? His best chance at becoming a franchise quarterback again is to be on a team with questionable quarterback play and even more questionable depth. Unless Baltimore would guarantee him the No. 2 spot and there’s an injury to Jackson on top of that, Newton would very likely never see the field in 2020. That’s not a great recipe for any player to show they can handle the rigors of a full season and can still play at a high level, much less at a position that would command top dollar if signed to be a starter elsewhere.
I still believe Newton can be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL if he has a little more protection and can stay healthy. But why would either the Ravens or Newton go through such a prolonged and convoluted process to put him in a spot to have a chance to prove himself when so many other teams make more sense. The Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all better scenarios for Newton than Baltimore.
This idea has all the trappings of someone blindly pairing two things that sorta fit together. You can practically hear someone reasoning to themselves, “Newton can run and the Ravens like to run their quarterback” and thinking it’s a brilliant idea all without putting another second of thought into it. That’s not to say it can’t happen because after this many years covering the NFL, I’ve learned to not make guarantees. But the idea of Baltimore signing Newton is as bad of a bet as you’ll see this season.
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