It turns out that Carolina Panthers didn’t move on from their franchise QB Cam Newton because of health concerns. According to Panthers’ new head coach Matt Rhule, the team simply believed Teddy Bridgewater was a better fit for them.
Panthers announced their decision to part ways with Newton in late March, bringing to an end his nine-year stint with the organization to an end. Shortly after that, the team snapped up Bridgewater from the free agency market and handed him a three-year, $63 million deal.
“We saw the opportunity to get Teddy and really felt like he was the right fit for us,” Rhule explained the team’s decision in a recent video conference with reporters. “We went ahead and made that call, not an easy call, but one we thought was the best one moving forward.”
Rhule added that one of the reasons why they went with Bridgewater is his familiarity with the offense that the team’s new offensive coordinator Joe Brady wants to run. The duo worked together in 2018 when Brady was an offensive assistant with the Saints.
“We felt like this was the time to go in this direction and bring Teddy on,” he explained. “His relationship with Joe, knowing the offense, the things that he has done in this offense just made sense to us.”
Panthers first tried to trade Cam Newton after bringing Bridgewater but weren’t able to find a trade partner. The teams were reluctant to give up assets as Newton missed all but two games in 2019 due to foot injury. Carolina ended up releasing the 30-year-old, making him a free agent.
