Cam Newton has blunt comments about vaccination, NFL future

Cam Newton has been a free agent since he was released by the New England Patriots back in August. Newton said at the time he had no plans to retire though no NFL teams were making strong overtures to bring the veteran quarterback in.

Since then, Newton’s name has popped up every once in a while but he’s been mostly a peripheral figure while the NFL season plays out and injuries and bad quarterback play loom as potential opportunities for him.

One of the big concerns around Newton was the fact that he was not vaccinated while with the Patriots, and given the current state of things in the league, the risk of bringing in a quarterback who could be out for testing positive for COVID defeats the purpose.

However, Newton posted a video on his YouTube channel on Sunday saying that he has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and he’s done so in service of wanting to continue playing football.

“Hell yeah I still want to play football,” Newton said. “I still get that urge to go out and perform and do something that I’ve been doing since I was seven years old.”

Newton added that he has been getting offers from various teams but the situation “has to be right.”

He also said that he was initially reluctant to get vaccinated because “the side effects weren’t beneficial to me” and that getting vaccinated remains “a personal decision.”

We’ll have to see if any NFL teams decide to bring Newton in. It seems unlikely unless a team loses a quarterback to a major injury and feels like they need a veteran who can step in quickly. Perhaps the Seahawks would want to take a shot with him if Russell Wilson’s injury gets worse. Maybe Houston would take a flier on Newton to see if he can spark something for them.

The NFL deadline for free agent signings is Week 10 of the regular season, or November 16.

[Cam Newton]