Tag: Carolina Panthers

Report: Panthers have been in contact with Bears about Cam Newton trade

The Carolina Panthers have screwed up this whole Cam Newton thing at literally every step, but they’re still trying to get something out of it.

The Carolina Panthers have screwed up this whole Cam Newton thing at literally every step, but they’re still trying to get something out of it.

First, they mismanaged his shoulder and foot injuries, going back to December of 2016. Then, they hurt his trade value by publicly questioning his health and making it clear they’re moving on with a tone-deaf social media campaign yesterday.

Now, their best hope may be to fool a team that’s desperate enough at quarterback to give them a draft pick in exchange. That probably makes the Chicago Bears their best potential trade partner.

According to Jonathan Jones at CBS Sports, Carolina has been talking to Chicago about a potential Newton trade.

As Jones notes, the team is now expected to release Newton in the coming days, so there’s a strong chance the Bears won’t even bite.

For what it’s worth, they need an upgrade at quarterback as much as any team in the league. Trading up for Mitchell Trubisky will go down as one of the worst draft decisions in modern history and he’s done nothing over the last three years to prove he can become a respectable long-term starter. Newton is going to miss a throw here and there, but he’s vastly more accurate and talented than Trubisky in every conceivable way.

Chicago has never gotten the QB position right, though. When Jay Cutler is the best in franchise history, you know it’s been a real problem. It would frankly come as a shock if they’re smart enough to either trade for or sign Newton. The Bears are also reported to be interested in Nick Foles and Andy Dalton.

Most likely, we’ll see Newton released in the coming days.

That move would save the Panthers about $19.1 million in cap space and add $2 million more to the ocean of 2020 dead money. It would also be a fitting end to a frustrating era. We can only wonder what Carolina could have accomplished with Newton if he’d ever had a proper supporting cast.

Our best guess is that he will land with the Patriots, who are in need of a replacement now that Tom Brady is joining the Buccaneers.

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Teddy Bridgdewater Contract: Details on Panthers QB’s 3-year deal

The contract is worth $63 million over three years.

The Cam Newton era is just about over in Carolina. Yesterday, we learned the team is allowing Newton’s reps to seek a trade, even though Cam says he never asked for it and is being forced out.

While it’s a shame the way that the Panthers mismanaged Newton these last few years and bungled his exit, we have to try to evaluate the Teddy Bridgewater signing on its own merits.

The deal won’t become official until 4:00 p.m. ET later today, but the parameters have been agreed to and now we have some more details, courtesy of Dan Graziano at ESPN.

  • The contract is worth $63 million over three years
  • The deal includes a $15 million signing bonus
  • $40 million is guaranteed in the first two years

Here’s how it breaks down by year for his base salary:

2020: $8 million (fully guaranteed)

2021: $17 million (fully guaranteed)

2022: $20 million

There are also the usual workout and roster bonuses you see with every NFL contract.

Panthers fans have plenty of reason to feel upset about the way Newton was treated and Bridgewater is a step down at quarterback. However, this is a pretty reasonable contract for a solid starting QB in this era. Russell Wilson is currently leading the position with $35 million a year and will soon be surpassed by Patrick Mahomes, who will likely command at least $40 million per season.

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NFL free agency: Gerald McCoy to Cowboys, Vernon Butler to Bills

Two more interior Carolina linemen are also on their way out.

The Panthers defensive line is going to look dramatically different this year compared to last. Already, the team has declined to pick up the option for nose tackle Dontari Poe, making him a free agent. Defensive end Mario Addison has also agreed to a deal with the Bills.

Two more interior Carolina linemen are also on their way out.

According to Todd Archer at ESPN, Gerald McCoy is signing a three-year deal with the Cowboys.

McCoy is 32 years old, but he’s coming off a strong season and should be a contributor for Dallas at least a while longer.

In related news, 2016 first-round pick Vernon Butler is signing a two-year, $16 million deal with the Bills, according to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network.

Butler never really lived up to his first-round pick status, but he did play well when injuries hit the defensive line hard this year.

Replacing all of these DL in one offseason is going to be extremely difficult. The Panthers will have to look to both free agency and the draft in order to fill their holes up front.

On the bright side, they were spending more money at DT than any other team in the league last year by a wide margin. Losing these guys will make it easier to field a more balanced roster.

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Panthers re-signing safety Tre Boston to 3-year deal

According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Panthers are re-signing free safety Tre Boston to a three-year deal worth $18 million.

According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Panthers are re-signing free safety Tre Boston to a three-year deal worth $18 million.

It’s a well-deserve deal for Boston, who was originally a fourth-round pick by Carolina in the 2014 NFL draft. After one-year stints with the Chargers and Cardinals, he returned to the Panthers in 2019, which was a strong season for him. Boston posted three interceptions and 11 pass breakups.

He should have at least a few more good years left in him. Boston will turn 28 in June. With Eric Reid still under contract, the Panthers have their starting safeties set for at least the next two seasons.

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Ex-Carolina Panther, L.A. Charger Thomas Davis joining new team

Thomas Davis, a former Carolina Panther and Los Angeles Charger, is signing with the Washington Redskins. Davis is a former Georgia Bulldog.

Thomas Davis, a former Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers linebacker, has found a new home with the Washington Redskins in NFL Free Agency. Davis is reuniting with his former coach in Carolina, Ron Rivera.

The Panthers originally drafted Thomas Davis, a Georgia Bulldog, in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Chargers recently cut Davis, who then became a free agent and signed with Washington. Davis announced the move via his Instagram account:

The Washington Redskins are getting a veteran leader in Thomas Davis, who has battled back to become an elite-level linebacker despite three ACL surgeries. The Redskins defense will be fun to watch in 2020, especially if they add Ohio State’s Chase Young with their number two overall selection.

Davis, who will be 37 years old later this month, can still play high-level football:

Will Thomas Davis and Ron Rivera be able to re-kindle some of the magic that helped the duo make Super Bowl fifty? The Redskins are candidates to go from worst to first in 2020.

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Thomas Davis says he’s reuiniting with Ron Rivera in Washington

Former Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis says he’s reuniting with his old coach Ron Rivera, who is now with the Redskins.

Former Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis says he’s reuniting with his old coach Ron Rivera, who is now with the Redskins.

Davis spent the first 14 years of his career in Carolina, then spent last season with the Chargers.

All in all, Davis has played 192 regular season games plus 11 more in the playoffs. He’s been named to three Pro Bowl teams and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2015, when the Panthers went to the Super Bowl.

There’s no word yet on how much or how long Davis is signing for, but chances are it’s a one-year deal. Davis turns 37 next week.

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Saints teammates respond to Teddy Bridgewater’s deal with the Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are working to complete a contract agreement with New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

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New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is close to completing a contract with the Carolina Panthers, which he cannot sign until the beginning of the new NFL fiscal year — at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 18. Once finalized, that deal is projected to put Bridgewater in a starting role under center, with Cam Newton expected to be traded away.

It’s great to see Bridgewater get this opportunity, even if it’s happening with a division rival in the NFC South. But some of Bridgewater’s former Saints teammates also shared their reactions to the news on Twitter, with responses ranging from celebratory congratulations to disappointment at the loss of a popular member of the locker room.

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Would the Redskins actually consider trading for Cam Newton?

The Panthers have put Cam Newton up for a trade, but would the Redskins ever consider bringing him to Washington?

We all know that Ron Rivera, the new head coach for the Washington Redskins, is fond of teaming up with players and coaches that he used to work with. We’ve seen him fill out the coaching staff in Washington with former Panthers coaches, and the team was reportedly interested in signing free-agent tight end Greg Olsen, as well as free-agent cornerback James Bradberry. Neither signing happened, but we know that Rivera and the Redskins were interested.

So does that mean that the Redskins are likely to look at Cam Newton, the newest Carolina Panther who is up for grabs?

It was reported on Tuesday morning that the Panthers were agreeing with Newton to seek a trade for the former MVP quarterback, though Newton later said that he never asked for a trade.

Regardless of how the process started, it’s clear that Newton will likely find himself on a new team in 2020, and based on the previous speculation about Rivera’s propensity to favor former players of his, it’s not out of the question to think that the Redskins could sniff around him.

Personally, I don’t think that Washington would bring in a player of Newton’s stature to take over the team. A trade for him would take at least a draft pick or two in order to get a deal done, and the Redskins don’t have much to give away in that department. On top of that, they also seem to be confident that Dwayne Haskins can blossom into a competent starting QB for them, and though they are looking to bring in a backup QB in order to compete for the starting job, Newton is above that. Bringing in Cam would make him the surefire starter above Haskins, and it could derail any future plans that the team has with their former first-round pick.

It’s also not clear how healthy Newton is. He has dealt with extensive shoulder injuries in his career, and he is coming off multiple surgeries in the last year.

So, do we think it’s likely that the Redskins kick the tires on Cam and bring him to Washington? No, probably not. But it’s not out of the question. In the NFL, anything can happen.

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Report: Panthers finalizing a deal with Teddy Bridgewater

The Panthers are finalizing a deal with free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network.

The Panthers are finalizing a deal with free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, according to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, who says there is a basic agreement in place.

The Athletic has corroborated that report, saying a deal is indeed being finalized. Meanwhile, Chris Mortensen at ESPN is saying the parameters are three years and $60 million.

Bridgewater does not quality as an upgrade over a healthy Cam Newton, who is now apparently on the trade block and not happy about it.

However, Bridgewater knows OC Joe Brady’s system from their time together with the Saints and he’s a sharp QB who does a good job of avoiding mistakes. For what it’s worth, we ranked Bridgewater as the fourth-best possible option for starting QBs in 2020, following behind Newton and this year’s top two quarterback prospects, Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa.

We will have more on Bridgewater as it comes.

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Panthers finalizing three-year contract with Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater

The Carolina Panthers are finalizing a three-year, $60 million contract with New Orleans Saints free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The Carolina Panthers are finalizing a three-year, $60 million contract with New Orleans Saints free agent Teddy Bridgewater, as first reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Bridgewater thrived as the backup quarterback in New Orleans but will get the opportunity to start for the Panthers.

He’ll also be reunited with former Saints assistant Joe Brady, who rose to prominence during the LSU Tigers 2019 title run and now works as the Panthers offensive coordinator. While many free agent pickups around the league will need time to absorb a new playbook, Bridgewater gets a head start due to that familiarity.

And familiarity is something the Saints will lean on in the years ahead. They and the Panthers will play twice a year as NFC South rivals, meaning Drew Brees’ one-time protege will now be directly competing against him. It’s great to see Bridgewater earn this kind of windfall, and he should do well in a system he’s used to running. But couldn’t he have gone somewhere else?

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