Newton to Washington? Fitzpatrick injury leads to speculation

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Cam Newton is without an NFL job after the New England Patriots released him on Aug. 31. But did another opportunity just arise?

Washington starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick exited the Football Team's season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

It's unclear if Fitzpatrick will miss extended time, but his injury led many to make the Newton-Washington connection, as Football Team head coach Ron Rivera spent nine seasons with Newton on the Carolina Panthers.

So, is Newton a good fit for Rivera and the Football Team?

The 32-year-old struggled in the passing game last season, averaging just 177.1 yards per game with eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions. But Newton still racked up 12 rushing yards in 2020 and showed signs of improvement as a passer during the 2021 preseason despite losing the Patriots' quarterback competition to rookie Mac Jones.

Curran: Re-examining the skinny on the Jones-Newton competition

As our colleagues at NBC Sports Washington pointed out, however, Rivera and Washington passed on the opportunity to sign Newton in each of the last two offseasons, rolling with a QB room of Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.

Heinicke also played well in relief of Fitzpatrick on Sunday, so the Football Team may be content with Heinicke and Allen -- both of whom have NFL game experience -- rather than bringing in Newton and having to adjust their offense to a QB with a different skill set.

Newton could land a job elsewhere -- especially if another quarterback gets injured -- but for now, a reunion with Rivera seems unlikely.

UPDATE (7 p.m. ET): Fitzpatrick appears to have suffered a serious injury, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reports.

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