The NFL's quarterback market has rapidly changed over the course of the past 48 hours. The New England Patriots lost Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Philip Rivers signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Nick Foles was traded to the Chicago Bears. And the Las Vegas Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to compete with Derek Carr.
Though there has been a lot of movement at the quarterback position, there are still some quality players left on the open market. Jameis Winston stands out as a top free agent available while Andy Dalton and Cam Newton are both sensible trade targets if the Patriots want to add a veteran to compete with Jarrett Stidham.
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Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, could be particularly intriguing for the squad. The Carolina Panthers are looking to move on from him after signing Teddy Bridgewater to a deal worth $21 million per season and they will try to offload him in a trade.
Newton has struggled with injuries the past two seasons -- he was limited to just two games by a foot injury last year -- but with one year left on his contract, perhaps the Patriots would be willing to acquire him if they think Stidham needs more seasoning.
That could explain why oddsmakers increasingly like the Patriots' chances of landing him. The Patriots are currently +170 to land Newton before Week 1, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
Just two days ago, the Patriots' FanDuel Sportsbook odds were +470 to land Newton and they ranked third overall among teams that could be in the mix.
But now, the Patriots are one of the few teams in the league that currently has an unsettled starting quarterback situation. So, having an interest in a guy like Newton, who could bounce back if healthy, does make sense.
New England Patriots
So too does the Washington Redskins ranking as the new favorite to land Newton. That would reunite the veteran with his former head coach, Ron Rivera, and would give the team some needed competition for second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
The only other team on the list that's not currently considered a long shot is the Miami Dolphins. The team is likely to draft a rookie passer with one of their three first-round picks, but they could view Newton as a high-upside investment given their excess of draft capital. Having Newton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a rookie in the fold would give the Dolphins and Brian Flores plenty of options as they look to start building themselves into a contender.