The Bears are seeking quarterback competition for incumbent Mitchell Trubisky, who's entering his fourth NFL season after struggling in 2019. The Bears have been active on the quarterback front as free agency opened this week. The had contract discussions with Bridgewater, who landed with the Panthers, and also have expressed interest in the Bengals' Andy Dalton and the Jaguars' Nick Foles on the trade market, according to reports.
A three-time Pro Bowler who turns 31 in May, Newton played in just two games while dealing Lisfranc injury in 2019. The complication for the Bears in trading for Newton is that teams are prohibited from travel due to the coronavirus outbreak, meaning medical checks would have to be conducted by an independent doctor.
Newton completed 67.9% of his passes for 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games in 2018, when he had a 94.2 quarterback rating.
Newton carries a $21.1-million cap hit in 2020. Deals can become official when the new league year opens Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT.