Jaguars Still Considered Among Favorites in Odds to Sign Cam Newton
Equipped with 12 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars made sure they weren't going to leave the weekend without adding to their quarterback room ... they just didn't do it in the way many may have expected.
The Jaguars were pegged as a team that was a candidate to select a quarterback early in the first round, whether with the No. 9 or No. 20 picks or in a potential trade up, but this never materialized. This was never a real option since the Jaguars are committing to Gardner Minshew II in 2020, but it still raised some eyebrows outside of Jacksonville.
Instead, the Jaguars drafted Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton in the sixth round, adding him to a position group that includes Minshew and fourth-year backup Josh Dobbs.
“It was something we felt like we needed to address either through the draft or through bringing a veteran in or possibly both," general manager Dave Caldwell said when the draft concluded. "We addressed it through the draft tonight. We’ll look at all our situations not at just quarterback, but at every position. Like we said earlier, we’ll just see where we can upgrade. If it makes sense, we’d do it, but we don’t feel like we need to do it at this time.”
But despite the Jaguars having a full quarterback room, and evidently confidence in Minshew, they are still being labeled by some oddsmakers as a favorite to sign free agent quarterback Cam Newton.
According to odds recently released from BetOnline, the Jaguars have the third-best odds presently to have Newton on their team in Week 1. The Jaguars were given 9/2 odds, which falls just behind Washington (7/4) and the New England Patriots (3/2).
The teams directly following the Jaguars are the Pittsburgh Steelers (11/2) and Denver Broncos (6/1).
Due to the lack of long-term experience from Minshew, and the fact that Newton has more credibility as a player in this league following an MVP season in 2015, it somewhat makes sense why some connect Newton to the Jaguars. After all, Minshew's own teammate Leonard Fournette did just as much in April.
"I feel like, you know, Cam has the ... Cam went to the Super Bowl," Fournette said. He is a great guy, I have been knowing Cam for a minute now. Like I told some people that talked to me and I talked to, it is no disrespect to Minshew.
"I am just trying to be getting into the best position as a team as we can win. That is all that was about. Just a friendly competition because they bring out the best in people."
But realistically, it is hard to envision the Jaguars signing Newton for a multitude of reasons. For one, the Cincinnati Bengals just released veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, and he is a much better fit for the Jaguars thanks to his experience with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden (spent the first three years of his career in a Gruden offense).
Plus, there are no questions about Dalton's health. With Newton, team doctors will have to feel comfortable with his medicals to give a green light to front offices. As of now, it is hard seeing that happening due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has limited the ability for teams to perform medical exams.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2011, Newton has started 124 regular season games in his career and compiled a 68-55-1 record in nine seasons in Carolina. In that span, Newton completed 59.6% of his passes for 29,041 yards and 182 touchdowns with 108 interceptions. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback also rushed 934 times for 4,806 yards and 58 touchdowns.
In seven playoff games, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2015, Newton went 3-4 and completed 59.8% of his passes for 1,821 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also rushed 63 times for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the postseason.
Meanwhile, Minshew started 12 games for the Jaguars in 2019 and only became a starter initially due to an injury Nick Foles sustained in Week 1. Minshew ended up going 6-6 as a starter in 2019, completing 60.6% of his passes for 3,271 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed 67 times for 344 yards, becoming a dual-threat for a stagnant Jaguars' offense.
