Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday the team reached out to free agent Cam Newton after fellow quarterback Russell Wilson sustained a finger injury.
Carroll, however, appeared to qualify his admission to 710 ESPN Seattle as the team essentially doing its homework on all available quarterbacks.
“Just so you know, we have talked to him. We’re talking to everybody that could help us,” Carroll said.
Newton, a former NFL Most Valuable Player, has been out of work since the New England Patriots released him on Aug. 31. The Patriots opted to go with first-round pick Mac Jones as their starting quarterback.
One impediment to his return had been his COVID-19 vaccination status, however Newton said in a video he posted to YouTube Sunday night that he now is vaccinated. Players who aren’t vaccinated face a five-day waiting period between signing with a team and reporting for duty.
Newton, 32, has passed for 31,698 yards and 190 touchdowns and rushed for 5,398 yards and 70 TDs in 140 games (139 starts) with the Carolina Panthers (2011-19) and Patriots. He won MVP honors and guided the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2015 season.
Geno Smith threw for 209 yards in the Seahawks’ 23-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. His fumble in the waning minutes of overtime led to Chris Boswell’s game-winning 37-yard field goal.
During Seattle’s 26-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 7, Wilson sustained a ruptured tendon and a fracture-dislocation of the middle finger on his throwing hand. He had surgery the following day, with a reported timetable of four to eight weeks to return.
Wilson, 32, had not missed a game since entering the league in 2012. His ironman streak of 149 consecutive games officially ended on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
