The NFL Combine is finally here, and all 32 NFL teams will be there in some capacity, checking out the latest crop of young talent from the NCAA. While the Carolina Panthers are expected to possibly draft a young quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, there is still the issue of veteran quarterback Cam Newton.
New Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and the rest of the Panthers organization had been mum about whether or not to move forward with Newton as the team’s starting quarterback, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news Tuesday morning that Carolina is still very likely going to be Cam’s home — at least for the 2020 season.
A lot can still happen in the coming months, but as of now, the #Panthers are moving forward with Cam Newton as their starting QB, sources say. While his foot is healing well, it will be several months until it’s game-ready — a timeline that complicates any potential trade.
Rapoport noted that Newton’s recovery from injury, coupled with the timeline of things, may make trading the QB a more complicated issue than many initially thought. Rapoport later added in a subsequent tweet that Rhule and the rest of his staff have been impressed by Newton’s rehab process so far as the quarterback had surgery on his left foot to repair a Lisfranc injury.
The Panthers deciding to endorse Newton as the guy this early in the offseason is notable largely because the team had yet to publicly commit to him in any way.
Panthers GM Refused to Commit to Newton Just Weeks Ago
Just a few weeks ago, Panthers GM David Tepper didn’t endorse Newton as the guy in the slightest — in fact, his language made many think the team might move on from Newton.
“Listen, I’m not a doctor,” the Tepper told media a few weeks ago. “I said it a million times, is he healthy? He’s not a doctor, so there’s a lot of different things can happen. But first is he healthy? Tell me that and then we can talk.” It appears that, as Rapoport also noted, the Panthers, with as much transition as they’re experiencing as a franchise, have decided to stick with Newton at the most important position.
Newton, who was the MVP of the league in 2015, has been the subject of trade rumors for months, and has been linked to everyone from the Chicago Bears to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rhule is set to speak to the media Tuesday afternoon, and will likely be asked numerous questions about the status of Newton. As Rapoport noted when he first began his tweet, a great deal could go down in the coming months to change this, but as it stands, it’s looking more and more like Newton will be the Panthers’ QB in 2020.
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Carolina Panthers Make Decision on Future of QB Cam Newton