Cam Newton Says He's 'Free and Hungry' on Instagram After Release from Panthers

The Carolina Panthers released quarterback Cam Newton after nine seasons, and the 2015 NFL MVP appears determined to make a big impact where he winds up next.

Newton called himself "free and hungry" in an Instagram post that featured the 30-year-old going through an offseason workout.

The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner and NCAA champion missed all but two games last season due to a Lisfranc injury that required surgery.

That followed numerous seasons with shoulder ailments, including a partially torn rotator cuff that required surgery in March 2017 and another injury that required an arthroscopic procedure in January 2019.

When healthy, however, Newton is a dominant force capable of putting an entire offense on his back. He has 240 regular-season touchdowns to his name (182 passing, 58 rushing) in 125 games and led Carolina to the playoffs four times during a five-season stretch between 2013 and 2017.

Newton shouldn't take long to find a new spot given his tremendous potential, and he should have options.

B/R Betting listed FanDuel Sportsbook's odds of Newton's landing spot, and the Miami Dolphins lead the way at 2-1. The Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2), Los Angeles Chargers (7-2), New England Patriots (5-1) round out the top four, with the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins capping the six-team list at 15-2.

The Broncos and 'Skins don't seem as likely given that they're prepared to go into 2020 with second-year signal-callers and potential long-term quarterback answers Drew Lock and Dwayne Haskins, respectively. 

The same goes for the Jags and Gardner Minshew II, who outperformed expectations as a sixth-round pick and caused Minshew Mania in Duval County.

The Dolphins and Chargers are intriguing since one could argue that they have playoff-ready rosters. Miami went 5-11 last year but just went on a free-agency spending spree, and the Chargers are one year removed from a 12-4 record.

Neither has a long-term solution at quarterback, and Newton is the best available signal-caller out there and could help each team take advantage of a perceived playoff window.

On the flip side, those two teams are slotted at fifth and sixth overall in this year's draft, and they have the option of picking someone like Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon's Justin Herbert.

Elsewhere, the Patriots need a quarterback for the first time in decades after watching Tom Brady leave for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team's defense and special teams should still be Super Bowl-caliber, but the offense is not after a down year even with Brady.

The team needs a quarterback to take charge. Newton could be that player as the Pats look to make the playoffs for the 12th straight year. 

He might be a better option than anyone in the draft given that New England is in a disadvantageous first-round draft spot at No. 23.