Bears Trade Rumors: Cam Newton Move Discussed with Panthers; Could Be Released

The Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears have reportedly engaged in trade discussions involving quarterback Cam Newton.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the expectation is that the Panthers are planning to release Newton in the coming days, but Chicago may want to acquire him via trade so that it doesn't have to compete with other teams for his services in free agency.

The Panthers announced Tuesday they had given Newton permission to seek a trade and then reportedly agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract with free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

After the Panthers announced their intention to let Newton seek a trade, the quarterback made it clear that he never asked to leave:

The 30-year-old Newton has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Panthers, but the past two seasons have been a struggle. He missed the final two games of the 2018 season with a shoulder injury and appeared in only two games last year because of a foot injury that required surgery.

Newton is a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro who led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance en route to being named NFL MVP in 2015.

While he hasn't come close to matching the 45 total touchdowns he accumulated during his MVP season, he is still a dangerous dual-threat quarterback when healthy. With Newton's contract set to expire at the end of the 2020 campaign, though, Carolina decided to move on.

Chicago is one of the few teams left that could potentially use a new starting quarterback, as Mitchell Trubisky struggled last season in his third NFL campaign.

After going 11-3 as a starter and completing 66.6 percent of his passes for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2018, Trubisky regressed with an 8-7 record and a 63.2 percent completion percentage, 3,138 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 picks last season.

The 25-year-old is also entering the final year of his contract, but the Bears could exercise the fifth-year option to keep him for 2021.

Chicago has an immensely talented defense led by Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson and the newly signed Robert Quinn. It also has some solid weapons on offense, including running backs David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller.

The Bears seemingly have a roster capable of reaching the playoffs and contending, but quarterback play held back head coach Matt Nagy's team last season.

A healthy Newton could be what the Bears need to get back to the success they enjoyed in 2018. The price to acquire him likely won't be high since every team knows the Panthers are moving on from him.