It appears the first domino in the quarterback market has fallen.
According to ESPN 730 in Charlotte (where former Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney works as a talk show host now), the Panthers are near a deal with quarterback Cam Newton which would carry him through the 2020 season.
The deal is expected to pay Newton north of $20 million a year, though the details (as always) will be critical in determining the value of the deal.
With no apparent movement between Russell Wilson and the Seahawks or Andrew Luck and the Colts, it’s interesting that Newton would go first, but he apparently got the offer he wanted to stay with the team that took him first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft (when Hurney was still G.M. and not a member of the media).