NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Patriots' Cam Newton Interest, Jadeveon Clowney, More

Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton remains unsigned. With the draft now in the rear view and several teams sporting new signal-callers, the chances of him finding a starting job have become slim.

Yes, he could be a valuable asset as a bridge to Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert or Joe Burrow. However, he wants to be a legitimate starter, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. Being a bridge may not suit him.

The same can be said for playing the backup/mentor role. Would the 2015 league MVP want to hold a clipboard and help, say, Dwayne Haskins to be a better quarterback. The competitor in Newton could likely have him wanting to crush Haskins in a camp competition and take the starting job for himself.

There's one team out there that would make a ton of sense for Newton: the New England Patriots.

While New England seems high on second-year quarterback Jarret Stidham, the former Auburn standout has never made an NFL start. Brian Hoyer has started NFL games, but he is not a long-term answer for the Patriots.

At just 30 years old, Newton could be a long-term option. However, the Patriots continue to be uninterested in signing him. According to NFL Network's Mike Giardi, that isn't likely to change.

Either the Patriots really believe Stidham can be a high-level starter—and thus don't want a veteran like Newton delaying his opportunity—or they're trying to make a sneaky play for a quarterback in next year's draft.

While tanking feels very un-Patriots-like, New England seems to have made very few moves that would keep it in playoff contention without Tom Brady.

Giants Use UFA Tender on Markus Golden

The New York Giants came into the 2020 offseason looking to upgrade their pass rush. The team produced just 36 sacks in 2019, 10 of which came from free agent Markus Golden. Yet, the Giants didn't add an edge-rusher until the seventh round of the draft.

With the 218th pick, New York scooped up Minnesota's Carter Coughlin.

With Golden still on the market after the draft, the Giants decided to make an interesting play. They used a little-known unrestricted free-agent tender that gives Golden until July 22 to sign with another team or have New York as his only option.

The tender is a one-year contract worth 110 percent of his 2019 salary.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, the move is an effort to get Golden back at a bargain price.

"The Giants are hoping to get Golden, 29, back on a team-friendly contract," Schwartz wrote. "The price tag is now set for Golden. If he can get more than $4.12 million from another team, he signs elsewhere. If his market is not bullish at all, he reverts back to the Giants."

As Schwartz pointed out, this strategy could be something that new head coach Joe Judge brought with him from New England. The Patriots used the UFA tender on LeGarrette Blount in 2017.

Seahawks May Not Be Upping Offer to Clowney

New York's use of the UFA tender brings up an interesting aspect of the Seattle Seahawks' potential pursuit of free-agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney, one of the biggest names still on the open market, is looking for a deal in the $20 million-per-year range, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini. Seattle hasn't been willing to go that high, but according to John Clayton of ESPN 710 Seattle, the Seahawks' recent release of D.J. Fluker and Justin Britt may have been a precursor to a bigger Clowney contract offer:

The problem with this theory, as recently pointed out by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, is that Seattle could use the UFA tender to put pressure on the 27-year-old or potentially land him on a roughly $16.5 million deal.

"It's not known what the Seahawks have offered defensive end Jadeveon Clowney," Florio wrote. "However, the team's decision not to extend a UFA tender to Clowney means that whatever Seattle has offered falls below a 10-percent bump over what he made in 2019."

If the Seahawks really were interested in upping their offer into the $16 million range, then using the UFA tender would make a lot of sense. Of course, teams almost never use the tender, so perhaps Seattle simply hasn't thought of it.