Jaguars Given Sixth-Best Odds to Have Cam Newton on Roster in Week One
Despite a trade that sent Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears and positioned Gardner Minshew II to be the Jacksonville Jaguars' starting quarterback in 2020, speculation continues to swirl among oddsmakers when it comes to Jacksonville's quarterback position.
According to BetOnline and Odds Shark, the Jaguars have been given the sixth-best odds to sign free agent quarterback Cam Newton, who was officially released by the Carolina Panthers earlier this week after spending nine seasons with the Panthers.
The Jaguars were given +900 odds, trailing only the Washington Redskins (+200), the Denver Broncos (+300), New England Patriots (+300 ), M), and the Los Angeles Chargers (+500).
It makes more sense for some of these teams to pursue Newton, though Washington appears set at quarterback with Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen, who they traded for earlier this week. Denver also has a talented young quarterback already in the roster in Drew Lock, though New England and Los Angeles have serious question marks at the position in the short- and long-term.
Jacksonville was given better odds to sign Newton than the Las Vegas Raiders (+1600), Pittsburgh Steelers (+2800), and Cincinnati Bengals (+4000). Pittsburgh has more of a question mark at quarterback in 2020 than the Jaguars do, making this a bit peculiar. The Bengals do own the No. 1 overall pick and are widely expected to select LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, so it makes sense for the Jaguars to have higher odds.
Ultimately it would be surprising to see the Jaguars pursue Newton, a former No. 1 overall pick and MVP. While some Jaguars players, such as Leonard Fournette, may be open to the idea, the Jaguars' brass is high on Minshew's potential, leadership, and work ethic. To see the Jaguars sign a veteran to start in front of him would be an unforeseen move for a team that seems determined to build around Minshew in the short-term.
Newton played in two games last year, completing 50/89 passes for 572 yards and an interception. Newton missed the final 14 games of the 2019 season due to a Lisfranc injury .
