Kyle Allen Has More Trade Value Than Cam Newton
A chain of events unraveled for the Carolina Panthers on Monday on day six of NFL free agency. It began with the Panthers signing XFL standout quarterback, P.J. Walker - who played at Temple under Panthers head coach Matt Rhule. That left four quarterbacks on the Panthers’ current roster - five if you include Cam Newton - which included Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, and P.J. Walker. It was extremely improbable that the team would keep all four quarterbacks on their roster, meaning one had to go.
Just a few hours after the Panthers signed Walker, news broke that the Washington Redskins would send a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Kyle Allen, where he would reunite with former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.
To put in perspective the pick the Panthers got in exchange for Allen, the Chicago Bears traded a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles just last week. The Chicago fourth-round pick Jacksonville received for Foles is the 140 overall pick (a low fourth-rounder). The pick Washington gave up for Kyle Allen was pick number 148. The picks were just eight slots apart.
Here’s where things get interesting. The Panthers decided they were going to move on from Cam Newton and announced they were going to allow him to seek a trade. After several days without finding a suitor, news broke that the Panthers were going to likely release Cam Newton. The quarterback market has continued to dwindle for Cam Newton. The Kyle Allen trade makes the already slim quarterback market even more minuscule for the former MVP.
You have to ponder whether Kyle Allen does indeed have more trade value than Cam Newton. The answer inevitably comes to yes. The Panthers and Newton both were unable to find a worthy trade partner whereas Kyle Allen was shipped out for a high fifth-round pick. It portrays the harsh reality that teams across the NFL were unwilling to give up any assets for Cam Newton.
Newton’s health is the leading reason why teams have been unable to convince themselves that they could give up any value for Newton - as he has not fully recovered from foot surgery, according to multiple reports. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, players are unable to have private workouts for teams and being able to take a physical has become increasingly difficult. There’s not a doubt in anyone’s mind that a healthy Cam Newton is one of the league’s better quarterbacks but his health has been such an issue over the last few years due to shoulder and foot problems - and various other injuries in the past - that the risk is not worth the reward until further notice.
So yes, Kyle Allen does have more trade value than the best quarterback to ever put on a Panther uniform. It sounds weird to say but it is unequivocally true. Kyle Allen’s 5-7 record last season, which included 3,322 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, was more appealing than an uncertainly healthy Cam Newton.
Uncertain health status carries a tremendous amount of weight especially for teams that would give us assets in exchange for such a player. Cam’s at his best when he can move around, create plays with his legs, and extend plays while letting his cannon if an arm do the remainder of the work for him. The only problem is that both areas that directly involve running and throwing (shoulders and feet) have been damaged over the past few seasons. The best possibility for Cam now is to wait until he’s released and then when the time comes show teams he is fully healthy before choosing a new destination. He will not be going into his next team with a definite starting quarterback job, rather with the impression to have no expectations to be under center week one.
Again, seeing the words Kyle Allen has more trade value than Cam Newton is absurdly weird to gaze upon but it is true.
Does it surprise you that Marty Hurney and the Panthers flipped Kyle Allen for a fifth-round pick? Where do you think Cam Newton ends up? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss it with fellow Panther fans!
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