Anybody who has followed the Chicago Bears for even a single week knows that this team is overwhelmed with quarterback question marks. There is no longer any debate about the fact that Mitch Trubisky will remain the starter in 2019. However, the topic of 2020 is far different. Both the veteran and draft markets are expected to have a fairly decent number of options available. One of the biggest being former MVP Cam Newton who appears to be on the outs in Carolina. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report is among those who sees him as a good fit in Chicago.
There is a problem though: money. Newton’s contract is expensive. Next season will reportedly cost over $19 million alone including $21.1 million in cap space. So the Bears would have to find a way to fit his contract on their books, which wouldn’t be easy. Especially if they have to trade for him, which is something else to consider. Miller though thinks this scenario is very possible. It involves a similar strategy employed by Washington last season.
“The Bears could trade a salary, such as Leonard Floyd’s $13.2 million, to the Panthers with a draft pick to acquire Newton.
What would that draft pick look like? The Alex Smith trade to Washington is a good blueprint. Kansas City dealt Smith in March 2018 for Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick. Newton is no doubt more talented than Smith, but he’s also suffered shoulder and foot injuries and will be a free agent after 2020. That could make Carolina’s asking price similar to Kansas City’s.”
Matt Miller certainly has an interesting idea here
The idea here certainly has merit. Leonard Floyd is hardly untouchable like he may have been last season. The former 1st round pick has disappointed in 2019, notching just three sacks in nine games to this point. It’s become apparent that while he is a good jack-of-all-trades defender, he isn’t special at anything and therefore not worth paying over $13 million next season. The Panthers could definitely make use of his talents. In addition, they’d get a nice draft pick and extra cap space.
The problem is the Bears don’t have a 3rd round pick like Washington did last year. This means they’d have to give up one of their 2nd round choices, likely the less valuable one. Then in order to balance out the deal perhaps the Panthers send a later round pick along with Newton. It’s a complicated situation but hardly impossible. Would GM Ryan Pace consider it? Well he hasn’t seemed willing to abandon Trubisky at this point despite what rumors may or may not say.
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Until that changes, this idea of Newton coming to Chicago will have to be chalked up as a fun what-if.
