Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are free agents with nowhere to go.
It is pretty incredible. Two All-American Heisman Trophy winners who led their colleges to national championships, both first-round NFL draft picks and each threw for thousands of yards. And now, neither of them has anywhere to go.
Cam Newton was the self-proclaimed Superman after coming out of Auburn and becoming the face of the Carolina Panthers from the moment he put on that No. 1 jersey. Newton was the first rookie (of the year) to throw for 400 yards in a game and became the most dangerous two-way threat in football on the way to an MVP and Super Bowl in 2015.
Winston is five years younger — with a similar college resume. Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman at Florida State, where he led the Seminoles to the last BCS championship. As a pro, he never proved as lethal as Newton, playing for the dreadful Tamp Bay Bucs, but in his last season he still threw for 5,000-plus yards. Now that Tom Brady is there, he’s gone.
Newton clearly had a better pro career. When healthy, he was nearly impossible to stop — scrambling out of the pocket, taking off on called running plays and throwing accurately with poor mechanics. A natural talent, if there ever was one. Because the Panthers signed Teddy Bridgewater, Cam got canned.
Where do these two tall, talented young men go? They are used to being the starters and the stars, but while the Brady drama played out and Newton was finishing rehabbing his shoulder and foot, the market all but dried up.
Will either agree to be a back-up on some good NFL team? Or they take a starting role on an also-run for the post-season? Will either of them find the right fit, or maybe both bomb out of the NFL with wounded pride. Newton claims he is healthy, hungry and free to prove he can still play. Winston’s problem was too many interceptions, but at 26 his true potential may still lie ahead.
One will find a place to shine. My money’s on Superman.
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