Ron Rivera reacts to rumor on WFT signing Cam Newton

It’s easy to tie Cam Newton to the Washington Football Team in free agency, but head coach Ron Rivera is not entertaining the discussion.

With ample cap space and the 19th-overall pick in the draft, the Washington Football Team has options to answer their question mark at quarterback. So it was natural that head coach Ron Rivera was asked about the team’s quarterback plan on Wednesday. It was also not surprising he didn’t tip his hand.

“We’re going through this process. Free agency starts next week. The draft is in 50 days, I understand. So we still have time, and we’re going to continue to explore all the options that are out there,” Rivera said. “I get it, you guys want answers, but we don’t have answers for you right now because we’re still working through the process. Again, we’ve got a lot of time with free agency next week and the draft in 50 days.”

Ron Rivera would not talk about Cam Newton

More specifically, Rivera was eventually asked about Cam Newton, who is a free agent after one season with the New England Patriots. The two were of course together with the Carolina Panthers from 2011 through when Rivera was fired in 2019, so the tie is easy to make. But the coach would not go down that path.

Rivera can’t talk about Newton, or any other free agent, right now. So his non-answer makes sense, even if it might be telling in some way.

Remember, though the Panthers did him a bit wrong by trying to trade him before releasing him, Newton was freely available last offseason. And he didn’t sign with the Patriots until late-June. So if Rivera wanted his former quarterback, questions about his health and being able to get a physical done under COVID-19 restrictions aside, he could have had him.

Rivera did make a move for a former Panthers’ quarterback last offseason, trading a fifth-round pick for Kyle Allen in March. Allen stepped in for Dwayne Haskins last season, starting four games before a season-ending injury. The deal to get Allen, within the first several days of the new league year, says it all about what Rivera thought of Newton. A year later, the question is if Rivera has changed his mind. But he won’t answer that just yet.