Los Angeles Chargers: Why Cam Newton to LA makes sense
By Jason Reed
1. Cam Newton should be one of the cheaper targets to acquire
Cam Newton shouldn’t cost a lot to acquire for the Los Angeles Chargers, however, it would not be cheap when it comes to the salary cap this season, as he is owed $18 million.
It is that $18.6 million that makes him such a cheap trade target, though. If the Panthers are insistent on moving on from Newton, especially after a year that he did not play, they are not going to get a lot on the trade market for the former MVP.
If anything, the Chargers would be doing the Panthers the favor of taking over the salary while also giving Carolina something in return rather than just cutting him. Newton could legitimately be acquired for a fourth-round pick and a future sixth-round pick, which is insane to even consider.
The $18.6 million is a lot but the Chargers have $51 million in cap space. The important thing to note is that Newton’s contract ends after this season, so the team is not putting itself in a binding situation in the future with the cap space.
The Chargers would have to overpay for someone on the market, such as Teddy Bridgewater or Tom Brady, and would not be able to get a quarterback of Newton’s caliber for a fourth and sixth-round pick on the trade market.
Sure, trading for Newton does not give the team a long-term option, but that actually works perfectly in Newton’s favor.