Is Cam Newton open to taking a backup job?

Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was released by the Panthers, after they signed former New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to be their starter.

Since his release, Newton has remained unsigned while other free agent quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Andy Dalton, Philip Rivers, and Jameis Winston has already signed with new teams.

One of the biggest reasons that Newton remains unsigned is the fact that he has dealt with significant injuries over the last two years. Even though both Newton and the Panthers say he is healthy, a lot of teams are wary about bringing in a 31-year-old quarterback that has played in 16 games in the last two seasons.

Now that the NFL draft is over, most teams are set at the quarterback position which makes it unlikely that Newton will find a starting job at the moment. After being a starter for nine years, Newton, who won the MVP award in 2015, likely won’t want to sign with a team as a backup.

However, after watching Bridgewater land a starting job after backing up Drew Brees for two years and Jameis Winston taking the same path by signing with the Saints during the offseason, Newton should consider signing a one-year deal with a team that doesn’t have a lot of depth at the quarterback position and test the free agent market again next offseason.

If Newton were to decide to sign with a team as a backup, he will attract a lot of interest from teams who are looking for a veteran to fill that role. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks, who have an undrafted rookie backing up quarterback Russell Wilson, could use a veteran backup in case Wilson gets hurt.

The Los Angeles Rams, who also don’t have an experienced veteran backing up Jared Goff, could use a player like Newton. In Denver, Broncos president John Elway is always looking at veteran quarterbacks but hasn’t been able to land someone as good as Newton since he signed Peyton Manning after he was released by Indianapolis.

The Broncos are going with Drew Lock as their starter this season. However, he has only five starts under his belt and could regress. Having a player like Newton backing him up gives the team some insurance if Lock struggles this season.

Even though he remains unsigned, Newton still has a lot of options. The question here is will he swallow his pride and take a backup role?