Seahawks rumors: Cam Newton not in play with Russell Wilson out

With Russell Wilson out for several weeks, the Seattle Seahawks have been considering other options at quarterback — but that doesn’t include Cam Newton. 

Ever since the New England Patriots cut Cam Newton on Aug. 31, there have been countless debates about which team should be the next to sign him.

According to Josina Anderson, it’s not going to be the Seahawks.

The current personnel would be Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith. Smith completed 23 of 32 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks’ narrow Sunday night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But before Smith had his chance in primetime, the Seahawks were apparently considering another quarterback option: for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles.

Seahawks are not pursuing Cam Newton as Russell Wilson remains sidelined

There are a few reasons why the Seahawks might pass on Newton, the primary one being that they believe in Smith to carry them through.

Smith entered Seattle on a reputation unfairly built on his time with the Jets. Smith had one start in New York before the Giants opted back for Eli Manning. Smith has been in Seattle for security since 2019, but his only chance to play prior to Wilson’s injury was during a 40-3 blowout against the Jets last season.

Resting the franchise on Smith’s shoulders, especially when the Seahawks have been in a precarious place in their division, meant the team explored other quarterback options for the time being. Why they would work out someone so bad he’s a running joke in “The Good Place” is difficult to comprehend, besides the fact that Bortles has veteran starting experience and has worked with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Perhaps the main reason the Seahawks wouldn’t work out Newton is because Newton is a different kind of dual-threat than Wilson. Although the two quarterbacks have comparable career rushing yards, Newton’s rushes have come from plays that were designed for the run.

“The Seahawks quarterback has 5,064 career rushing yards to his name; Newton is sitting at 5,610,” wrote Steven Ruiz for The Ringer. “But 76.1 percent of Wilson’s yards have come on scramble plays compared to 38.7 percent for Newton, per PFF.”

The only other explanation is that the Seahawks were open to working out other quarterbacks before Week 6, but they’ve decided to stick with Smith after a reassuring Sunday night performance — besides the overtime fumble, that is. Otherwise, Smith kept it close and worked with creative runs and short passes to bring the Seahawks to overtime.