Reports on Tuesday indicated that the Panthers are expected to release quarterback Cam Newton before the end of the day and the leak of that information may have been a push to get someone to trade for him before the Panthers went that route.
If so, that effort got a little more oomph on Tuesday afternoon. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Newton took and passed a physical in Atlanta on Monday.
The physical was set up by the Panthers and Newton’s representatives and, per the report, it found no issues with Newton’s shoulder or foot. A right shoulder injury ended Newton’s 2018 season and he was limited to two games last year with a Lisfranc injury to his foot.
Newton’s health has been seen as a major stumbling block to efforts to trade him and the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that teams aren’t able to bring him in for a physical as part of pre-trade due diligence.
UPDATE 3:24 p.m. ET: There won’t be any trade. The Panthers announced that they have released Newton.