Washington clearly made right call not signing Cam Newton

Entering the 2021 offseason, Washington Football Team fans had no idea how the franchise would fill its hole at quarterback.

A stopgap option always seemed like the endgame, and that was confirmed when they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year $10 million deal in march.

Of course, Fitzpatrick has appeared in just one game for Washington this year, and all signs point to his season being over as his recovery from a hip subluxation has taken longer than the team initially expected.

In terms of options Washington could’ve had instead of Fitzpatrick, Cam Newton was there for the taking both at the start of free agency and after Week 1 when Fitzpatrick hobbled to the locker room.

Some fans surmised that a reunion between Newton and Ron Rivera would make sense for the franchise. We even entertained the idea for a moment.

However, Newton’s disaster outing on Sunday was further evidence that Rivera and Co. were right to pass on the former MVP.

The Washington Football Team was right to pass on Cam Newton.

In all honesty, Newton’s 2020 campaign with the Patriots should’ve been all the justification Washington needed to not sign him. Sure, that entire offense was a mess, but Cam did nothing to elevate the talent around him.

Did Newton perform well against Washington? We suppose, but was pretty much written in the stars given it was his first home game in his return to Carolina. And for all the good he did in that game, he only threw for 187 yards.

In 15 starts for the Patriots last year, Newton eclipsed the 200-yard threshold just five times. He also topped 300 yards on just two occasions. At this stage of his career, he’s just an average thrower of the football.

In a must-win game to keep pace in the NFC playoff picture, Newton turned in an absolute dud vs the previously 4-7 Dolphins. The three-time Pro Bowler finished 5-of-20 (25%) for 92 yards, one rushing touchdown and two interceptions.

Those numbers equate to a 5.8 passer rating. Not 58.8. 5.8. We cannot recall visualizing a passer rating that low.

Don’t look now, but the Panthers are 0-10 in games started by Newton dating back to 2018. We won’t go as far as to say that this is who he is, as Week 11 proved he has juice left in his 32-year-old tank.

However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t say his tank is almost empty.

For all of Taylor Heinicke’s low points this season, his highs have made the decision to pass on Newton look like a touch of brilliance.