Cam Newton: Teams Are Interested in Contract; 'Waiting' for Championship Opportunity

Free-agent quarterback Cam Newton said Tuesday he is taking a wait-and-see approach amid interest in him on the open market.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Newton texted him the following: "I have teams that are interested in signing me. I am waiting on the best fit as it pertains to winning a championship and getting a fair chance to play."

The 32-year-old Newton went 0-5 as a starter and largely struggled for the Carolina Panthers last season, but his resume of three Pro Bowl nods, one first-team All-Pro selection and one NFL MVP award could convince a team to take a chance on him.

Carolina selected Newton with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, and he started for nine seasons. Injuries and a drop in performance played a role in the decision to release him before the 2020 season, but it was surprising nonetheless.

Newton had established himself as arguably the greatest player in franchise history. He led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record and a Super Bowl appearance in 2015, which was the same year he was named NFL MVP.

The former Auburn standout appeared in just two games for the Panthers in 2019, however, and they cut ties, which led to Newton's signing with the New England Patriots.

He had massive shoes to fill after Tom Brady left the Patriots after 20 years to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Overall, it was a failed experiment.

In 15 games as a starter that season, Newton went 7-8, and he completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Newton did show he had plenty of juice left in his legs, though, rushing for 592 yards and 12 scores.

After he struggled as a passer in 2020, the Patriots used the No. 15 pick on quarterback Mac Jones. Newton and Jones then battled for the starting job during the preseason.

With Jones decisively outperforming Newton, the Patriots released the veteran.

He returned to Carolina about two months into the 2021 season and saw plenty of action down the stretch, appearing in eight games.

He was once again effective as a runner, posting 230 yards and five touchdowns, but his passing left plenty to be desired, as he completed just 54.8 percent of his attempts for 684 yards, four touchdowns and five picks.

Given his shortcomings as a passer in recent years, it is difficult to envision that a team signs him and gives him a legitimate chance to start in 2022.

A few teams still have question marks at starting quarterback, though, including the Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.

Those two clubs would likely give Newton the best chance to see game action in 2022 since the Seahawks have former Denver Broncos second-round pick Drew Lock penciled in as their starter and the Panthers are still poised to go with Sam Darnold.

If Newton would be willing to take on a lesser role and mentor a young quarterback, however, the San Francisco 49ers or Houston Texans could make sense.

Assuming the Niners trade or release Jimmy Garoppolo, Newton would be the ideal quarterback for Trey Lance to learn from since they are both dual-threat quarterbacks.

Newton could also be a good sounding board for Davis Mills in Houston after Mills did some good things as a rookie in 2021.

Even if the odds of Newton being a starter in 2022 are long, plenty of teams could use some quarterback depth, and they could do far worse than signing a signal-caller with an MVP award.