Chargers receiving "Unsolicited Calls" Regarding a Cam Newton Trade

[raz]

12 minutes ago, Tbe said:

Delhomme said in the Athletic today that he believes Newton’s future is very much up in the air right now. He doesn’t think anyone knows how it is going to play out. 
 

He said this upcoming year feels a lot like 2010. They are cleaning house of anyone who doesn’t fit a 5 year plan. 

jake's take makes the most sense.   there's too many variables right now for us or anyone to know.

[Tbe]

1 minute ago, raz said:

jake's take makes the most sense.   there's too many variables right now for us or anyone to know.

FYI...Jake and Gross said the team tanked in 2010 by just playing a bunch of cheap inexperienced players. 
 

We could be looking at the same strategy this year. Free agency will tell us a lot.

[nogoodbum]

14 hours ago, 45catfan said:

If this ends up being true and not just speculation, I have recently mocked us trading back and fielding calls from teams moving up for Herbert considering the Chargers pass on him.  The Colts being a prime candidate.   Why would the Chargers draft Herbert if they just traded for Cam?  Hint: they wouldn't.

Which is why I think a trade with LAC will include a swap of 6-7 picks for the extra picks the Panthers might be able to add.

[LegioX]

7 minutes ago, Tbe said:

FYI...Jake and Gross said the team tanked in 2010 by just playing a bunch of cheap inexperienced players. 
 

We could be looking at the same strategy this year. Free agency will tell us a lot.

If that is the case then we should just trade CMC and not waste his talent on a rebuild.

[Paintballr]

14 minutes ago, Tbe said:

FYI...Jake and Gross said the team tanked in 2010 by just playing a bunch of cheap inexperienced players. 
 

We could be looking at the same strategy this year. Free agency will tell us a lot.

The difference was in 2010 you had a lame duck John fox vs a first year Hc

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

15 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

What about our best writers?  Other teams beat writers?  National writers who cover the league?

 

There is too much smoke here.  You can only bury your head for so long

You mean all the ones speculating with zero sources?  The ones trying to drum up a click bait headline?

Good job at falling for it because it lines up with a narrative that you are trying to push (even though you tried telling me you weren't).

If it happens, it happens.  I guess I just have a standard that none of these guys are meeting.

[Tepper's Chest Hair]

15 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

You dont think person and Jordan dont have sources?  Rapaport?  

Person was universally panned by the Panther fanbase as being a horrible panthers writer.  

If you actually listen to Rapaport's articles at no time he ever lists a source.  He constantly says "per sources" when he has one.  Any time he talks about Cam its 100% speculation.

[raz]

3 minutes ago, Tepper's Chest Hair said:

Person was universally panned by the Panther fanbase as being a horrible panthers writer.  

If you actually listen to Rapaport's articles at no time he ever lists a source.  He constantly says "per sources" when he has one.  Any time he talks about Cam its 100% speculation.

joe person has the most punchable voice i've ever heard

[Tbe]

16 minutes ago, LegioX said:

If that is the case then we should just trade CMC and not waste his talent on a rebuild.

I don’t disagree. Locker room leadership and the fact that he’ll still be good in 5 years may be the only reason to keep him around. 

[raz]

25 minutes ago, Tbe said:

FYI...Jake and Gross said the team tanked in 2010 by just playing a bunch of cheap inexperienced players. 
 

We could be looking at the same strategy this year. Free agency will tell us a lot.

this is rhule's sop from his previous gigs - minus the $ part.  

[MHS831]

15 hours ago, 45catfan said:

If this ends up being true and not just speculation, I have recently mocked us trading back and fielding calls from teams moving up for Herbert considering the Chargers pass on him.  The Colts being a prime candidate.   Why would the Chargers draft Herbert if they just traded for Cam?  Hint: they wouldn't.

I would not eliminate the Raiders either--at one point, there was talk about Carr coming here.  That trade, as the one you describe with Indy, is likely to be a draft day trade if it happens.  I see Detroit as a primo team to trade back.  Miami may move up to grab him.  Then the Chargers at #6--if they want Herbert, for example, could get leapfrogged.  While I doubt Gettlemen trades, Detroit, now at #5, might trade back again. Detroit's GM cam make his career in April if the cards fall just right.

[stbugs]

57 minutes ago, Tbe said:

FYI...Jake and Gross said the team tanked in 2010 by just playing a bunch of cheap inexperienced players. 
 

We could be looking at the same strategy this year. Free agency will tell us a lot.

I agree 100%. We have a ton of FAs. If we are going total rebuild then it makes very little sense to try and resign most of them, even Bradberry. We could legitimately get a 3rd for Bradberry, anywhere from 4th (if $8M per year happens) to 7th for Boston. 4th or 5th for McCoy, 5th or 6th for Irvin, 4th to 7th for Butler (have no clue on him but 6 sack DTs are pretty rare) and then 6th/7ths for a variety of guys like Hogan, Van Roten, Wright and I’m sure some others I forgot. That’s a lot of potential compensatory picks in 2021. It would rival the 12 picks I remember SF and NE having a few years ago. Lots of ammo in the 2021 draft.

31 minutes ago, Tbe said:

I don’t disagree. Locker room leadership and the fact that he’ll still be good in 5 years may be the only reason to keep him around. 

I know people get emotional, and they do even if they don’t want to admit it, about Cam but trading him and trading CMC are two completely different decisions. You are talking about a guy who would be 32-36 from 2021 to 2025, costing @ $35M per year and having been injured every year since 2016 versus a guy who would be 25-29, costing @ $15M per year and having no injury history. If CMC wasn’t 21 as a rookie, but was 23 and the next contract was 27-31, then I’d think differently.

[MHS831]

You are all right--we do not have sources, we have speculation from experts.  Since we have a new owner and things seem to be different now, here is what we KNOW:

1. The team had no problem letting Olsen walk (refused to pay his contract).

2.  There seems to be no movement on deals with Bradberry or Boston, even though they said they were in negotiations last month.

3.  There has been (to the best of my knowledge) no noise about re-signing Addison.

4.  We re-signed Slye, Luke, Obada, and Reggie Bon Bon to one year extensions.

5. Wes Horton (age 30, I think), and Luke announce retirements. 

6. Panthers sign former second round bust TJ Green a player cut in Indy, Seattle, and New Orleans in his 3-year career.

7.  Panthers hire Rhule and most of a staff known for developing talent and turning around franchises. 

8.  Tepper suggests, through contracts and statements, that he envisions a slow rebuild--not a quick fix--and that he is not a fan of "mediocrity."  (It is fair to say that mediocrity is the best way to describe a team without consecutive winning seasons in 26 years)

9.  Cam Newton has started just 17 of the team's past 32 games and has not been effective since October, 2018. 

10.  Cam Newton has had surgery during the last 3 off seasons. 

11.  Cam Newton will be 31--not old for a QB, oldish for a running QB.

12.  Cam Newton's salary is a bargain in today's market at $21m for a franchise QB; to be a franchise QB, you have to be healthy, however.

13.  The Panther organization seems noncommittal when asked direct questions about Newton's future.  In the past, any player under contract has been given reassurances in similar situations.   That could mean more about the new regime's policies and hierarchy than anything about Cam, or it could suggest that the team is moving on.  There is little to suggest that a decision to go with Cam has been made.

14. Cam has stated that he is coming back and mentioned that he is working to return to 100%.

15. In terms of rebuilding a team, Tepper was teenager in Pittsburgh when the team hired Noll to fix the franchise.  The first thing they did was draft Bradshaw, a player that sucked his first year (38% completion rate).  He saw that develop into a dynasty. 

16.  Cam Newton has 1 year remaining on his contract at $21m.  Cutting or trading him frees nearly all of that amount from the cap.

17.  They have not re-signed Kyle Allen yet.

I tried to consider angles that might produce evidence to suggest that Cam is staying.  It is hard to find.  All of the evidence (circumstantially) suggests that he is being shopped.  Furthermore, there is some evidence that suggests we are in tank mode.

 

Q:  After re-signing Shaq Thompson during the season, what have the panthers done?  Signed players fighting for roster spots.  Maybe that is the norm, but we can sign our own and there is nothing coming down the pipeline.  No Tweets, no anything to suggest there are active, productive talks.  Than means little, but all we have is little.

Q:  What does the retirement of Horton and the signing of Slye tell us, if anything?  Horton (30) should have been excited to hang around, considering the fact that Irvin and Addison are likely goners in a youth movement.  We need 4-3 DEs.  Slye, on the other hand, was scary last year, but he has a strong leg and Gano has a $4+ m contract. 

Q:  Why would the Panther organization NOT tell reporters that Cam is under contract and he is our man in 2020.  If they are planning to keep him beyond that, why are they not negotiating an extension--pending his passing a physical?  All Cam said was, "We had a good meeting."

Q: Who called the meeting where Cam sat down with Tepper, Hurney, and Rhule? 

So if you look at the facts and try to make some sense of where they are heading, it does appear that they are signing cheap players and letting established players go.  Slye vs. Gano is a great example of that--you could argue that there will be a camp competition, but lets see if it ever gets to that point.  

And the biggest question that is not really addressed here effectively:  "What are and who made 'unsolicited calls'?"

Final Thoughts:  It does not look good for Cam's return, but we are simply trying to analyze a hand before it has been played.  There is a lot we do not know, a bunch of variables.  You can't even trust what is being said.

My theory?  They are going to shop Cam and if they get no takers, the are going to release him.  They could play him for one season, but I see no evidence of interest in a long-term deal at this time.  If you do, please show the evidence--not your heart strings---and we can build a fact-based perspective together.
 

 

 

[mrcompletely11]

Incredible post.  Well done