The Carolina Panthers made a surprise move by deciding to pass on holding onto the services of former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton. That means “Superman” is on the market, and the temp for the former Rookie of the Year and 2015 league MVP is getting much hotter for the former Auburn Tiger. With the visual evidence of a healthy Cam already practicing alongside Tyrod Taylor on Instagram that showed neither QB practicing safe social distancing, rumors have started to swirl that Cam to LA is all but a done deal. Yet, I foresee a couple other teams making his final destination a bit more of a mystery. The following are a couple teams I already have in my futures portfolio at online sportsbooks as to where No. 1 ultimately ends up.
Los Angeles Chargers +300 to -150
Miami Dolphins +350 to +470
Jacksonville Jaguars +350 to +470
New England Patriots +450 to +650
Washington Redskins +500 to +1000
Denver Broncos +1600 to +600
Oakland Raiders +2500 to +1200
Pittsburgh Steelers +2500 to +2000
You can strike through the Washington Redskins in my opinion. D.C. already let it be known last season who they think totes the mail for the franchise for the foreseeable future. Though he failed to gain much traction or impress in his rookie campaign, Dwayne Haskins is the man regardless of upper management bringing Kyle Allen in to challenge for the QB1 slot. While Newton has looked great in the footage that’s come out since free agency began, you never know how his big frame will react once the pads are on and opposing defenses are looking to take him out. Having already traveled an injury ravaged road with Alex Smith, it’s pretty safe to omit Washington from this list. The Redskins initially opened up +500 underdogs to land his services, but now check in at 10-1.
You can also omit the Denver Broncos from the list regardless of the fact that Newton’s odds of making Mile High Stadium his future home shrinking from 16-1 to 6-1 since first hitting the betting board. John Elway was nothing short of tickled pink after finally striking oil with a quarterback selection last season. After numerous quarterbacks struggled to lead Denver’s offense a bulk of the regular season, Courtland Sutton and company took their game to a new level immediately once Drew Lock took over the controls. Heck, there’s even talk of the Broncos selecting Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the No. 15 pick in the NFL Draft. It’s all hot steam! The Broncos need offensive line and wide receiver help. They’re not drafting or inking Newton to a deal in free agency!
While it would make sense for the New England Patriots to make a move considering they’ll currently be entering the 2020 season with only Jarret Stidham and Brian Hoyer on the active roster, I don’t foresee it happening. For the Patriots to be successful offensively, it needs to move the ball down the field by way of a vertical passing game. Due to injury and getting longer in the tooth last season, the Pats struggled to do so. Because of it, upper management decided it was time to let Tom Brady leave the nest and write a new chapter in Tampa Bay. Though younger and bigger, Newton is injury prone. Most importantly, he’s not an efficient passer. The fact that Newton’s odds of playing for the Patriots currently check in at +650 after opening +450 is all the indication I need to know Cam’s headed elsewhere.
Miami would be a nice landing spot but I think the Dolphins will be looking to snag one of those young QB studs ion the draft. Of the big dogs, it’s the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers I like the most to swoop in from out of nowhere and land the 30-year old. Ben Roethlisberger isn’t getting any younger and will return in 2020 off a major injury. He could go down in a crashing heap once again. With that, Mike Tomlin knows Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph weren’t the answers. As great a bounce back season the Raiders had last season, it almost had the feeling that it still could’ve been pulled off without the services of Derek Carr under center. Though he threw for the most passing yards and churned out the best QB rating of his career, it looked like Jon Gruden wanted more. Newton would also make for the perfect new face of the Vegas franchise!
Last but not least are the Los Angeles Chargers who look to be shoe-ins to acquire Newton’s services after pics of him surfaced practicing alongside Tyrod Taylor a few days back. With the Bolts looking to replace the services of longtime veteran shot caller Philip Rivers, they’re badly in need of a QB1 that can take advantage of the weapons the Chargers offense currently possesses. Having already brought in Bryan Bulaga and former Panther Trai Turner along the offensive line, all the team needs now is a field general to feed the likes of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry and Austin Ekeler. We’ve already watched the Tyrod Taylor show before. It’s decent, but not great and never has you coming back for more. LA is now the -150 chalk after opening 3-1 to land Newton’s services; looks like the betting markets have spoken!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
