Getty Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
The Seattle Seahawks may not have selected a quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft or made a trade for a big name this offseason, but the team continues to be linked to available quarterbacks around the league.
Most of the recent rumors surrounding the Seahawks have included a possible trade for Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. However, with the Browns seemingly uninterested in making a trade before training camp, other names have started to come up in trade rumors.
Sheena Quick, a Carolina Panthers beat writer for FOX Sports Radio 1340, added another name to the Seahawks trade rumors. She tweeted on Sunday, May 29 that former MVP quarterback Cam Newton has drawn interest from both the Panthers and the Seahawks this offseason.
@Footballheadd @MasterTes SEA and CAR are the teams with interest per source.
This comes off the heels of a report from Jonathan M. Alexander with The Charlotte Observer, who wrote that the Panthers were still open to bringing back their former star quarterback. If a deal isn’t worked out between the two sides, it could be the Seahawks who try to add the quarterback to their roster.
According to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times on June 1, however, “any report of the Seahawks being interested in Cam Newton isn’t accurate.”
My understanding is that any report of the Seahawks being interested in Cam Newton isn’t accurate. They were last year when Russell Wilson got hurt, but my understanding is they aren’t right now. Newton is currently a free agent.
Cam Newton Has Been Linked to the Seahawks Before
This isn’t the first time that the Seahawks have had conversations with the former Panthers quarterback. In fact, the two sides discussed a possible contract during the 2021 season after Russell Wilson’s finger injury.
“So I talked to [Newton] a couple times, just trying to see what was going on his world and all that, and we’re wide open and continuing to compete with,” head coach Pete Carroll said in October of 2021. “There was nothing to be done then, and we’re really counting on Geno to do the job, and that’s how the conversation went with him too, we were counting on Geno to do the job and all that. So we’ll see, we’ll see what happens. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
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At 33 years old, Newton has already had an impressive NFL career. The first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton was the 2015 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, a three-time Pro Bowler, and the 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Newton’s career hasn’t gone nearly as well the last few seasons. Since 2019, Newton has only started 22 games, throwing for just 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions with a 7-15 record as a starter. He has still been a threat on the ground, however. Over that same span, he’s rushed for 820 yards and 17 touchdowns, with the Panthers using him as a red zone rushing threat in sub packages in 2021.
Do the Seahawks Need Cam Newton?
At the moment, the Seahawks only have three quarterbacks on their 90-man roster with Geno Smith, Drew Lock and Jacob Eason. That’s not the end of the world, but having a fourth quarterback for training camp and the preseason would give the team a lot more flexibility in how they practice heading into the regular season.
Carroll has publicly stated that he doesn’t see the team trading for a quarterback this offseason. However, he didn’t mention the possibility of signing a free agent at the position, which would make a player like Newton a real possibility.
That doesn’t mean Newton would be signed to compete for the starting job, however. Star wide receiver Tyler Lockett has been impressed by both Smith and Lock at OTAs, and those two are likely the main contenders for the starting job.
Still, a player like Newton could be worth taking a chance on in training camp to see if he can bring anything to the table, even as a possible backup.