ESPN’s Chris Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter that Newton is letting the next several weeks play out.

«I spoke to a source close to Cam Newton and he’s willing to wait right now if he has to,» Fowler said. «He’s going to be patient. He wants to get his spot back as a high-level starter. He’s highly motivated to do so. There simply aren’t a lot of starting jobs available. So if he has to wait until after the draft, or maybe somebody gets injured, he is willing to do that.

«He knows the Patriots or maybe one of those teams could be looking. He doesn’t know what they’re going to do, obviously, just yet. They haven’t played their hand.»

New England enters the season without a returning starting quarterback since 1993, when rookie Drew Bledsoe entered the league. When Bledsoe was injured in 2001, Tom Brady took over and held the job through the 2019 season.

Chargers a potential fit?

Brady signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month.

The Los Angeles Chargers also have been mentioned as a fit for Newton. After not re-signing veteran Philip Rivers in free agency, the Chargers have Tyrod Taylor as their presumptive starter.

The Panthers released Newton on March 24, saving $19.1 million US in salary-cap space.

Newton, who turns 31 in May, is coming off of Lisfranc surgery and had a shoulder operation prior to the 2019 season.

In limited action in 2019, Newton passed for 572 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Overall, he has thrown for 29,041 yards, 182 TDs and 108 interceptions in 125 games (124 starts). He also has rushed for 4,806 yards and 58 scores.

Newton was the NFL MVP in 2015 when he passed for 3,837 yards and a career-best 35 TDs while leading Carolina to the Super Bowl. He was intercepted 10 times and also rushed for 636 yards and 10 TDs.