Former NFL MVP Cam Newton’s career has been spiraling downward over the last couple of years. Last season Newton made his way back to Carolina after a stop in New England. While he’s no longer MVP Cam from 2015, a couple of teams could still utilize his skill set, even if it’s as a backup.

“I think I’ve proved to the people I need to prove to my worth, my value,” Newton said. “Me answering this now, just a day removed from the season, I don’t know what that looks like. But can I tell you do I have a lot of football [left], do I want to play? Yeah. But under the right conditions.”

Whether the ideal situation comes along for Newton remains to be seen. Contrary to what most believe, Newton says he’d be open to a backup role in the “right situation.” But there are a few teams around the NFL that should probably take a look at Cam and bring him in for training camp and the preseason if the Panthers go another route.

Arizona Cardinals

Alright, just hear me out. Of course, we know there’s no shot at Cam being the starter with Kyler Murray in Arizona. But maybe having a backup that also had his maturity questioned as a young NFL QB a decade ago could do Murray some good.

Kyler took down all mention of the Cardinals on his social media after the season ended. Then when he finally spoke about it publicly, he downplayed it, seemingly taking no accountability for the incident. Should the Cardinals decide to bring Newton in as a mentor, it could be an easy transition as the playbook wouldn’t need to change much if Murray misses time on the field like he did last year.

Seattle Seahawks

With Russell Wilson now out of the way, Seattle no longer has a legit QB in their quarterback room. It’s hard to believe the Seahawks are willing to go into the 2022-23 season with Drew Lock as their starting QB. The NFC West will still be one hell of a tough division. You’d think Pete Carroll would at least want Lock to fight for that starting spot.

Seattle should bring in Newton to compete for the starting gig. Geno Smith is also still an option, although he’s a free agent. The Seahawks could bring back Geno, sign Cam, and have them battle Drew for the QB1 slot. Seattle is one of the few places Newton could potentially become the starter. Either way, Seattle probably won’t win more than six games next season, and that might be a stretch.

Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta traded away long-time starter and former league MVP Matt Ryan last week, which officially signified them starting over. Yes, they’ve signed journeyman QB Marcus Mariota, but his backups AJ McCarron and Josh Rosen are both free agents. McCarron is unrestricted and Rosen restricted.

As much as Cam’s declined since initially leaving Carolina after the 2019 campaign, a healthy Newton should have enough left in the tank to beat either McCarron or Rosen. Well, one would assume at least. Of course, nothing is guaranteed for Newton at this point. Plus, he’d be returning home to the region where he grew up. If Cam can’t end his career with the team that drafted him No.1 overall, then it’d be fantastic to see him finish up where it all started. And Mariota’s had a history of being banged up and missing games, so there’s a possibility Newton could see some action.

The clock is ticking on Newton’s time in this league. I think there is a spot out there for Newton, but it likely won’t be as QB1. Unless something crazy happens or Superman rediscovers his powers and transforms back into super Cam circa 2015. Since the chances of that happening are slim, he’ll need to be prepared to accept a role holding the iPad on the sideline for whichever team signs him.