REPORT: Bears and Panthers Have Been in Recent Contact About Cam Newton

March 18, 2020, by Brett Taylor Chicago Bears

The Panthers opted for Teddy Bridgewater yesterday (on a contract that looks a lot like the old Mike Glennon deal), which means they are moving on from former MVP Cam Newton, who’s got one year left on his deal at just $18.6 million.

The big question, of course, is whether the Bears would come calling as Newton and his crew work with the Panthers to facilitate an acceptable trade (before it gets to the point where he’s released). Well, here’s your answer:

The Panthers have been in recent contact with the Bears regarding Cam Newton, per source. The expectation is Newton will be released in the coming days, but CHI may not want to compete in the market for him

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 18, 2020

At least some of the national talking heads see it:

https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1240095739029491713?s=21

But not so much locally:

I always under the impression that the #Bears were never in play for Marcus Mariota. I think the same is true about Cam Newton for various reasons. That could change. But my understanding is that Bears’ QB pursuit is down to Nick Foles and Andy Dalton. Best trade wins?

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) March 18, 2020

There are a lot of layers to keep in mind before you even dig into the style fit:

The Panthers are hitting up the Bears, but couldn’t that just be them trying to find a trade partner – like, reaching out to ANY team looking at quarterbacks – now that everyone knows it’s a trade or release situation? Just because the teams have been in “recent contact” doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a serious Bears pursuit there.

Trading for Newton before he becomes a free agent doesn’t automatically mean you aren’t going to have to sign him to a long-term deal, though. I can’t imagine a situation where Newton is traded, and is super happy about effectively playing out a one-year prove-it deal. Maybe he’d do it. But it might also get really thorny quickly.
Any chance the Bears are simply happy to see this stuff floated to apply pressure on their possible trade partners? Like, trying to get a slam-dunk deal done for Nick Foles or Andy Dalton? Neither should cost much at all in any case, but every bit of pressure would help the deal.
And the biggy: any team trading for Newton right now reportedly would not be permitted to give him a physical, and instead would have to rely on an independent, third-party doctor to check out the state of Newton’s surgically-repaired foot (and previously surgically-repaired shoulder). Seems like a lot of risk there if you’re itching to make a move immediately in the present environment, especially if Newton might be released soon anyway.