NFL Rumors: Cam Newton To The Los Angeles Rams 'Would Make Sense'

The Cam Newton free agency spectacle continues. While a number of teams have already expressed their strong interest to acquire him, some analysts think the Los Angeles Rams could be the most ideal destination for the ex-Carolina Panther, at least on paper.

Former NFL executive Louis Riddick sees the former MVP fitting perfectly with the Rams, who are currently on the hunt for the best possible back up for starting quarterback Jared Goff.

“The other team that would make a lot of sense on paper to me that isn’t an obvious starting job is the L.A. Rams,” said the current ESPN analyst Thursday on “Golic and Wingo”. “Sean McVay and Cam Newton I think would be a perfect fit theoretically and philosophically. Again, run-centric offense. Everything runs through the running back. Play-action passes, movement passes, boots, roll-outs. I mean, Sean would have an absolute field day with that.”

It may sound promising for the Rams, which have four run-of-the-mill quarterbacks on the backup list. But while it seems auspicious, L.A. still has not quite reached the benchmark set by Newton, who wants nothing less than the starting role for his new team. More so, the Rams do not have enough space in their salary cap, which makes the signing more unlikely.

Cameron DaSilva of the Rams Wire wrote, “…It’s highly unlikely Newton chooses to sign with the Rams. He’s holding out for a starting job, which could be difficult to come by. But even if he were to settle for a backup gig, the Rams would have trouble finding the cap space to sign him.”

Based on technical calculations, the Rams are at around $5.6 million over the cap. Although it is exclusive of some restructured contracts, the residual amount will not be enough to land Newton as a significant fraction of it is already allocated to sign their draft class.

Newton, who was drafted first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, played for the Panthers in eight seasons. He captured the MVP award in 2015 after he led Carolina to a 15-1 record en route to Super Bowl 50, where they lost to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.