Cam Newton Angling for a Bears Job

Bears QB Justin Fields one of the passers Cam Newton says he'd be willing to back up.

Quarterback Cam Newton is still available and wants to make sure everyone knows it.

On his own Youtube channel, the 33-year-old former NFL quarterback wanted to tell the league that he is willing to be a backup quarterback and he has a list of those he's willing to support as the No. 2. High on the list is Justin Fields.

"Players that I would back up: No. 1 Deshaun Watson," Newton said. "He was on my 7-on-7 all-star team. I've grown to admire the person, the athlete that he is. Going through a lot of turmoil but I believe that's behind him.

"My No. 2 person would be wherever Lamar Jackson decides to go. No. 3 would be Justin Fields, another C1N product (Converse). No. 4 would be Tua Tagovailoa. No. 5 would be Malik Willis, another C1N all-star representative."

Newton didn't play last year after the contract he signed during the 2021 season with Carolina expired at the end of that season.

"So there's a narrative that's out there that says Cam doesn't want to be a backup," Newton said. "I never said that I didn't want to be a backup."

Newton's list is curious since it would mean he'd be third team in Tennessee. Willis is a backup.

Besides those five quarterbacks, Willis said he would also be willing to back up rookies C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson.

Other veterans he listed as players he'd back up were Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Sam Howell.

Newton said there are a number of teams where he would want to be competing for the starting job and not be the backup, but didn't list those.

He said the point of his pronouncement was "...to kind of bring awareness to, like, hey, I'm still out here."

He also pointed out two of his own backups in the past who he admired for "...selflessness and just ultimate team players," and those were Derek Anderson and Joe Webb.

"I want to win," he said, calling himself a team guy. "That's the only reason that I play this game."

After being drafted in 2021, Fields said he had often wanted to pattern his game after Newton at a younger age.

"I would say when I was younger, like maybe eighth, ninth grade, it was more Cam Newton," he said. "But I would say these past couple years I’ve kind of turned more to a Russell Wilson-type quarterback.

"I've watched a lot of film on him. I've watched a lot of highlights on him. So I think the things that we can do on the field with both of those quarterbacks, I think we have a lot of similarities between extending plays with our legs and also having the arm talent. So I think those are a couple of guys that I kind of emulate my game after."

Newton was MVP in 2015 and a Pro Bowl player for the third and last time that season.

His passer rating since that season in the NFL was 81.6 with 60.4% completions, 59 interceptions and 77 touchdown throws.

The Bears have already signed Fields' former Panthers teammate, PJ Walker, to be backup and also Nathan Peterman as the third-team QB.

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