NFL Rumors: COVID-19 Problem Quashes Cam Newton Option For Bears

KEY POINTS

Bears did not aggressively pursue Newton
Bears wary of Newton's health
Bears hope Foles lives up, influences Trubisky

The Chicago Bears find themselves in search of a quarterback after their original target landed elsewhere. This is about Teddy Bridgewater who opted to sign with the Carolina Panthers. Ironically, that meant Cam Newton was available and it seemed to make sense for the Bears to consider him.

As most know by now, the Bears elected to sign Nick Foles instead. Chicago agreed to an NFL trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, finally getting a veteran quarterback that they have been longing for, CBS Chicago reported. Mitchell Trubisky is still there but most know how the 25-year-old lacked the consistency for the Bears. Now, he may have to prove he deserves to be the team's starting quarterback or temporarily play backup to Foles.

For some, the decision may be a surprise. The Bears had the opportunity to get a legitimate quarterback who would be a monster on the field. But the problem with 30-year-old is that questions are up in the air about his health. He played only two games last season and his injuries the past years have raised more questions on his durability.

Ironically, it was previously reported how Newton moving to Chicago made sense. Rumors swirled on the possible deal but it turns out that all the murmurs were nothing but fake news. According to NBC Chicago's JJ Stankevitz, citing sources, the Bears were never really in play for Cam Newton.

With teams prevented from doing routine medical checkups, the Bears had no way to determine how to fit the three-time Pro Bowler is. Even though he is a talent that would be hard to pass up, the fact remains that Chicago needed to make sure that they were not getting someone who would be spending more time in the sidelines. Also, other NFL teams are aggressively scouring the free-agent market for quarterbacks at this point, meaning Chicago could not afford to wait and risk ending up empty-handed.

Also worth factoring in is why the Panthers opted to move in a different direction with Bridgewater. They are rebuilding but Newton remains the same guy who led them to Super Bowl 50 back in 2016. Something was seriously off and the Bears may have done the right thing going for Foles.