Could Cam Newton steer Deshaun Watson away from the Panthers?
By Dean Jones
Deshaun Watson and the Carolina Panthers
First of all, the Carolina Panthers need to agree to the Houston Texans’ demands. Players like Deshaun Watson rarely become available on the trade market and certainly not in their prime, so it’s going to be an extortionate amount that seems to be causing some friction as to whether it is worth it in relation to the bigger picture.
Watson is one of the best in the business. So acquiring the player would make everyone on the Panthers better.
There are plenty of exciting weapons on offense to work with even if Curtis Samuel departs in free agency as expected. This is something Watson hasn’t really had during his career outside of calling upon stud wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals last year for a deal that his signal-caller reportedly found out about on social media.
Make no mistake, Watson holds Cam Newton in high regard.
The player saw him as a benchmark to aspire to when he was playing just a short distance away at Clemson. Newton was lighting up the league with the Panthers at the time and if this results in Watson seeking his counsel before agreeing to any potential trade, it remains to be seen whether he’ll put the organization across in a good light.
This might be nothing.
But it also could make all the difference.
Newton is well within his right to still harbor some resentment after giving everything to the Panthers during his time with the franchise. And this is unlikely to have gone unnoticed by Watson given how much he’s looked up to the veteran over the years.