Report: Cam Newton passed physical before Panthers planned release

The Carolina Panthers announced the release of quarterback Cam Newton, but before they did that, they took care of some business with Newton. The team and Newton’s agent coordinated a physical in Atlanta on Monday to check out the quarterback’s foot. He passed the physical, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, with his foot and shoulder both “checking out well.”

Given the need to have a healthy Newton for trade purposes, it’s no surprise the team and Newton are saying everything went fine. Odds are decent they told potential trade partners everything came out fine, and those teams in turn said, “We’ll wait and let you release him first.”

Newton is now free to sign with any team, with no restrictions, but it still might take some time to get a deal done. The draft is one month away, and for the time being, it might still be difficult to get a physical done that will make a team comfortable enough to sign him. Some teams might be more interested a month from now if they don’t land a first round quarterback.