After suffering a setback in his recovery from a foot injury and getting placed on injured reserve, Carolina Panthers star Cam Newton is now expected to miss the rest of the 2019 NFL season, with the once-unheralded Kyle Allen set to receive more chances to establish himself as the team’s starting quarterback of the future. This has kept the trade rumors swirling around the former first-overall draft pick, as the latest speculation behind the scenes suggests that Newton is open to the idea of being traded to the Chicago Bears in the coming offseason.
As quoted by NESN , NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Newton’s contract status — where he is due $19 million in non-guaranteed salary in the 2020 season — makes it highly likely that he will be playing elsewhere next year. The NFL insider described the 30-year-old signal-caller as a “very tradeable” player, albeit one who is still capable of playing at a high level as he reportedly plans to undergo surgery on his injured foot. This operation would hopefully allow Newton to get healthy in time for the start of the offseason in March.
Talking about specific destinations, Rapoport mentioned the Bears as one potential suitor that Newton would “welcome” being traded to in the offseason, assuming team officials try to address their issues behind center. At the moment, the Bears have Mitch Trubisky as their starting quarterback, and his inconsistent play this season has reportedly led fans to demand that he be replaced in the starting lineup by longtime backup Chase Daniel.
From @NFLGameDay : #Panthers QB Cam Newton is now considering surgery following being placed on IR, with the goal of being healthy by March… when his future will be decided. pic.twitter.com/P3iVbughE9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 10, 2019
As pointed out in a separate story from CBS Sports , the Panthers have yet to make a firm decision on the futures of Newton and Allen, though rumors suggest that team officials were doubtful as to whether they would offer the former an extension even before he injured his foot. The organization is also reportedly undecided on Allen, who still has a solid 5-2 record as a starter following the Panthers’ Week 10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but hasn’t put up eye-opening statistics since taking over from Newton in Week 3.
Although NESN opined that Chicago would indeed be a “logical fit” for Newton if he gets traded after the 2019 season wraps up, the outlet noted that there are other teams that could make a move for the 2015 NFL MVP, including the Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans, two teams that have also struggled at quarterback this year. The Joe Flacco-led Broncos are currently last in the AFC West Division with a 3-6 win-loss record, while the Titans are at 5-5, having recently replaced erstwhile first-stringer Marcus Mariota with Ryan Tannehill.