Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was a rumored trade asset heading into the NFL offseason, and team owner David Tepper has made some cryptic comments about his future.
On Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the notion the Panthers are heading into somewhat of a “rebuild” could also signal Newton's departure.
Naturally, Newton's shoulder issues–as well as Tepper's latest comments–are likely to give any team pause before pulling the trigger on a potential trade.
But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported, interested teams can request a physical:
The good news is that a team that wants to trade for Newton will be able to do some homework before making that decision. According to the NFL, a team interested in trading for a player can give the player a physical, with the permission of his current team.
That becomes a hugely critical fact as it relates to Newton, who has multiple body parts that a new team will want to poke and prod before putting together an offer the Panthers would accept — especially if Newton, who is due to make only $19.1 million this year, will want a new contract
There are multiple factors that should be pointed out in this instance.
The first is trades cannot be finalized until March 18, and the Panthers might find they would like to pursue available free-agent quarterbacks. Thus, they cannot simply wait until March 18 for a Newton trade to present itself.
Secondly, given Newton is in the final year of his current deal, any team trading for him will want to ensure he is healthy for 2020 and beyond.
However, this rule seemingly benefits both the Panthers and teams, hoping to get the best out of the former NFL MVP.
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