A little more than a week after the Panthers placed Cam Newton on injured reserve, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the quarterback plans to have surgery on his foot and that the career-long Panther would be open to joining the Chicago Bears next season.
Newton has one year left on his contract with the Panthers after back-to-back offseason shoulder injuries, and now two consecutive seasons shortened by injury. The Panthers will owe Newton $19.1 million in 2020, with a salary-cap hit of $21.1 million, but that $19.1 million is not guaranteed.
The 30-year-old got hurt during the preseason, then again in Week 2 when a foot injury ended his season. Initially, the injury was not seen as being as severe as it became. Deemed a Lisfranc injury, the left foot injury could be made better by surgery to repair the torn ligament in Newton’s foot.
Surgery and an 8-10 week recovery period would make Newton “very tradable,” (according to Rapoport) to a team like the Bears. The plan is something that Rapoport says “from my understanding, Cam Newton would in fact welcome.”
Bears head coach Matt Nagy is in need of improvement at the quarterback position. Mitchell Trubisky, who the franchise drafted second overall in 2017, has regressed this season.