Cam Newton willing to wait as long as it takes for a starting job

There aren’t many, if any, starting opportunities out there, but Cam Newton is willing to wait as long as it takes.

Cam Newton now stands alone as the best quarterback available, after Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton each signed with new teams as backups. Newton could follow the same path, but according to Joe Person of The Athletic there’s “no way” the 2015 NFL MVP signs anywhere as a backup.

The Carolina Panthers tried to trade Newton, but with his health concerns and the coronavirus pandemic preventing other teams from doing physicals, they wound up releasing him. Even after that later than ideal move, Newton seemed to have some options

But the New England Patriots have never seemed interested, and the Los Angeles Chargers followed a commitment to Tyrod Taylor by drafting Justin Herbert. Another team that looked like a fit, the Chicago Bears, made a trade for Nick Foles before Newton was released.

Barring a sudden change, the Patriots won’t be signing Newton to overtake Jarrett Stidham. The Jacksonville Jaguars are committed to Gardner Minshew, but they’re open to adding a veteran quarterback. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets are easy to point to as teams in need of an upgrade behind their starting quarterback.

Newton is apparently willing to wait for travel restrictions to lift though, while rehabbing his foot (and his shoulder?). When teams can have him in for a visit and a physical, he’ll presumably be able to show he’s 100 percent healthy. Newton may simply need more time to get himself right, and due to the broader world situation he has it without having to rush things.

Waiting for a team to lose its starter to injury in a preseason game or training camp is a little more risky this year, with preseason games and training camps far from certain to occur as usual. But injuries to starting quarterbacks do happen during that time, and if it comes to that Newton will be the No. 1 available option when it does. If he winds up waiting (or is willing to wait) into the season, someone will surely lose their starting quarterback and be looking at all options.

There’s a strong case for Newton to take the path Winston and Dalton have, and sign as a backup with an eye on hitting the market anew next offseason. But he brings more to the table than those guys do, when healthy of course, and a calculated risk that better opportunities will eventually come is a risk Newton can uniquely take.