Cam Newton Puts Commanders on Wish List; Why Won't Coach Ron Rivera Sign QB?

Cam Newton looking to return to the NFL, and lists Washington as a place where he'd be willing to serve as a backup.

Cam Newton doesn't believe that there are 32 quarterbacks in the NFL currently that are better than him, but is seemingly aware that after not playing in 2022, he may have to accept a backup job to get his foot back in the door. 

To that end, Newton listed 12 quarterbacks he would be willing to back up, and among them is Washington Commanders youngster Sam Howell.

Update: Cam Newton says he's willing to be a backup in the NFL.

Guys that he's willing to backup include: Deshaun Watson, Sam Howell, Malik Willis, Fields, Tua, Josh, Hurts, Lamar, Rodgers, and 3 rookiespic.twitter.com/lNB5ZmTxqL

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 5, 2023

So, what is Washington coach Ron Rivera waiting for?

Newton listed other spots as being Cam-friendly (in his eyes) as well, including the Jalen Hurts-led Eagles. Of course, the Eagles introduced Marcus Mariota as their backup on Wednesday, so there's no reason to think they would have interest in Newton. 

But what about a team coached by Rivera - who once coached Cam to his greatest heights, in Carolina, when he was both an MVP and a Super Bowl participant?

The problem with signing Newton as a backup is that he has a larger-than-life personality and there are plenty of players in the league currently that looked up to him when they were in high school or college. Even if Newton was the perfect solider, his presence alone could become a distraction if the starter falters at all. 

Additionally, Newton has thrown more interceptions (15) than touchdown passes (12) over his list two NFL stints, which he spent with the New England Patriots and Panthers. It's unclear what Newton has left as a passer at this stage. (Indeed, Cam as a passer has always been erratic.) 

With that said, Newton ran for 12 touchdowns in 2020 with the Patriots, and tacked on another five in parts of eight games for the Panthers in 2021. If he was behind a cemented starting quarterback, not only could he be injury insurance, but he could be utilized as a red zone and short-yardage weapon on the ground. 

And he's on-record as wishing to mentor Sam Howell, the 2022 fifth-year rookie slated to start in Washington ahead of newcomer backup Jacoby Brissett.

Maybe, at this point in their careers, Brissett is better in this role than Newton would be.

There's a scenario where Newton, 33, could still bring value to an NFL team in 2023. But Rivera surely knows him as well as any head coach in football. And whether it's age, money, status, distraction, personality or talent, Rivera has once again said "no'' to the idea. And that's the end of that.

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