Playing GM: Keep One, Trade One

Cam Newton or Christian McCaffrey, who do you choose?

The role of a general manager is never easy and sometimes, you will be faced with some extremely tough decisions. Over the last several months, rumors have swirled day by day surrounding the possibility of the Panthers trading franchise quarterback, Cam Newton. 

Those rumors have now started to settle down, despite several around the league not buying the Panthers pitch of “moving forward” with him. As of now, it does appear that Carolina will be sticking with Newton for the foreseeable future. However, if you were forced to make a decision of having to trade Newton, or star running back Christian McCaffrey, what would you do?

Personally, both guys are very valuable to the team’s success and in order for the Panthers to be truly competitive, both need to be on the field. With that being said, McCaffrey is probably the more valuable asset. Guys like that don’t come around very often and when they do, it’s important to keep them on the roster for as long as one possibly can. This is no knock or slight to Newton, but with his recent injury history and age, it just makes sense to keep the younger and potentially more valuable piece. 

The big thing for Carolina is figuring out what direction they want to go in. In a rebuild, it makes sense to deal your quarterback to a possible contender. With Newton on the roster and healthy, Carolina won’t be in great position to draft a top quarterback. 

By trading Newton, this creates the start of a rebuild, but also helps the process move a little faster when you have a weapon like McCaffrey. 

Let’s be honest, having Newton in a rebuild is only setting him up to get injured once again and ultimately putting the team in a bad spot. 

I must stress that I do believe Newton should remain a part of the team’s future. This is just a fun off-season debate that we can discuss. So, drop your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss with our staff what you would do in this particular situation.