Buffalo Bills: The arguments for and against signing Cam Newton

Why the Bills shouldn’t pursue Newton

The first thing we should do is once more mention Newton’s injury from last year. The Panthers ended up having to put him on injured reserve as he was healing slower than expected; fair or not, this leads to the question of if he will be as good as he was before the injury?

Even allowing for a full recovery, there are suggestions the three-time Pro Bowler is no longer the same player he used to be regardless. Critics will point to him not being as productive following his MVP season, highlighted by just one winning year in his three full campaigns since.

Talking of Newton’s MVP season, there are those who believe how he conducted himself during and after Super Bowl 50 prove he is not a leader. This resulted in the perception he is not really the quarterback you want to turn to in the face of adversity.

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On a related point, would the two-time BCS national champion be prepared to come into a situation where he would have no guarantees of being the starter? Is there a sense of entitlement that would stop him putting in the work to earn his place as the main man?

With Allen theoretically being the number one, would Newton accept being the backup? If not, then he would be better served going somewhere else for a better chance to be the starter, while probably having to accept this would likely correlate with playing on a less talented team than the Bills.

The last argument to be made for why the Bills shouldn’t pursue the 2010 Consensus All-American, relates to a point made in the previous section. More specifically, McDermott’s familiarity with him.

If, as Carucci reports, it is true the Bills are not actually interesting in signing Newton, this speaks volumes. The head coach would be involved in any discussion about who to go for, and if he has no interest in pursuing a quarterback he knows well, this counts for a lot.

Talking of which, any discussions McDermott had would have been with his general manager, Brandon Beane. And it’s important to note Beane would also be fully aware of Newton, having been with the Panthers between 2008-16, first as director of football operations and then as assistant general manager.

Conclusion:

Taking everything into account, it makes sense for the Bills not to pursue Newton. As far as the team is concerned, Allen is the quarterback to lead them moving forward and as such, they don’t want the distraction which would be created by signing Newton.

What would you do in the Buffalo Bills’ position? Should they attempt to sign Newton or not, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.