Chicago Bears could land Cam Newton after Matt Rhule hire

The Carolina Panthers will hire Matt Rhule as their new head coach, which may mean the Chicago Bears could land Cam Newton in a trade.

The Chicago Bears seem committed to Mitchell Trubisky, at least through the 2020 season. There have even been reports by guys like Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that state general manager Ryan Pace could pick up the fifth year option on his starting quarterback.

With that in mind, some interesting news broke Tuesday morning. Former Baylor head coach Matt Rhule will become the next head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Tuesday morning on Good Morning Football, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news of Rhule being chosen by the Panthers to fill their head coaching vacancy. Also on the show, Rapoport stated that this could mean Rhule comes in and starts over with the Panthers.

"“…[Matt Rhule can] basically start completely fresh and build the program that he wants.”"

Those are some pretty strong words from one of the most respected guys in the business (Rapoport).

If Rhule indeed comes in and desires to start fresh, that likely could mean drafting a quarterback as the future of the franchise. Coming from the college ranks, it is very likely Rhule decides to go that direction.

Right now, the Panthers hold the seventh selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. That could end up landing them several guys: Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jacob Eason, or maybe even Jordan Love.

If the Panthers decide to start anew under Rhule, that means Cam Newton could very well be available via trade.

Now, if Rhule comes in and makes it plainly obvious they will move on from Newton and go in a younger direction, the trade return becomes much lower. That would be huge news for the Bears.

Let’s say the Bears could land Newton for a third round pick. If you’re Pace, do you do it? I’d have a hard time saying ‘no’ to that deal if I’m the Bears.

Newton coming to Chicago would mean some serious competition for Trubisky, assuming health. Last season, Newton was shut down for the year after failing to come back successfully from a lingering foot injury.

For now, it’s Rhule in Carolina and a potentially brand new look for the Panthers. We’ll keep tabs on Rhule’s plans for the near future and, if Newton’s name gets floated out in trade rumors once more, you bet we’ll have it covered.