Cam Newton willing to be patient in negotiating with teams; possibly waiting to sign until after NFL Draft

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers

The 2020 “best NFL free agents available” list has quickly been whittled down, and quarterback Cam Newton remains unsigned, sitting atop it, along with a few other stars — many of whom are on the defensive side of the ball.

Newton’s been rumored to have drawn interest from a number of different teams, yet the Patriots, Chargers and Redskins seem to have focused their attention on the quarterback position elsewhere.

But don’t expect the former MVP Award winner to settle if the market refuses to budge on price. A “SportsCenter” report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Sunday states that Newton is prepared to wait to sign a new contract with an NFL team until after the draft takes place — if need be.

“I spoke to a source close to Cam Newton, and he’s willing to wait right now if he has to,” Fowler began, as transcribed by 247Sports.
“He’s going to be patient. He wants to get his spot back as a high-level starter. He’s highly motivated to do so. There simply aren’t a lot of starting jobs available. So if he has to wait until after the draft, or maybe somebody gets injured, he is willing to do that. He knows the Patriots or maybe one of those teams could be looking. He doesn’t know what they’re going to do, obviously, just yet. They haven’t played their hand.”

Newton figures to be an upgrade over at least a few other quarterbacks that are currently penciled in as starters for the 2020 NFL season — assuming its played. However, he could be seeking big money, and teams may not be willing to line up to commit a large chunk of their salary cap to a 30-year-old quarterback who has battled injuries for the better part of his last few seasons in the league.

He’s certainly a much more viable and consistent player when compared to other free agents, such as Jameis Winston. Newton is clearly the top free agent still available, and he could be for quite some time, apparently.

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