3 reasons former Panthers QB Cam Newton could join the 49ers
By Dean Jones
Could former Carolina Panthers icon Cam Newton get another NFL lifeline with the San Francisco 49ers in the wake of Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury?
After being in the cold throughout 2022, there could be an avenue back into the league for Cam Newton in the not-too-distant future.
The quarterback hasn’t found a new home since making his bombshell return to the Carolina Panthers shortly before their Week 10 triumph at the Arizona Cardinals last season. Since then, Newton has spent valuable time with his youth coaching initiative and is also building up his real estate portfolio during an enforced absence away from the gridiron.
However, with Jimmy Garoppolo’s season-ending injury during the San Francisco 49ers’ impressive win over the Miami Dolphins, many are speculating Newton could step in and fill the void providing there is mutual interest.
On this subject, we picked out three reasons why Newton joining the Niners makes a ton of sense.
Reason No. 1
The 49ers are in win-now mode
Once the San Francisco 49ers made their daring trade to secure Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers, they laid their cards on the table. This was a team ready to win right now, which has been severely jeopardized by injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Brock Purdy did well against the Miami Dolphins, but whether the undrafted signal-caller can keep this up once teams get solid film on him remains to be seen. His lack of experience in big playoff games is something else that could complicate matters.
Cam Newton’s been out for almost a year, so the risk is obvious. However, the former Auburn standout was made for the big occasion and could assist in some capacity.