Quarterbacks highlight the second day of NFL’s legal tampering period

While the Raiders made a few headline-grabbing moves, quarterbacks, including Tom Brady heading to Tampa Bay, dominated most of the conversation on the second day of free-agent activity in the NFL.

Signings and trades cannot become official until the start of the new league year Wednesday afternoon, but here are some of the biggest moves on Tuesday.

Carolina carousel

Two quarterbacks were in the news in Carolina, as the Panthers publicized that they’ve granted Cam Newton permission to seek a trade just as reports surfaced that they’re close to signing former Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year deal worth around $60 million.

Newton, however, did not appreciate the framing of the Panthers’ announcement, responding on social media that Carolina “forced” him into seeking a trade.

“Please do not try and play me or manipulate the narrative and act like I wanted this,” Newton posted to Instagram.

Still, all indications are that the Newton era in Carolina is over. The Panthers’ release said he’d been granted permission to seek a trade, and general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement, “Every year difficult decisions are made and they are never easy. We have been working with Cam and his agent to find the best fit for him moving forward. He will always be a Carolina Panther in our hearts.”

While the Panthers would like to trade Newton, that may be difficult given the quarterback’s health over the last two years. Newton missed the last two games of 2018 with a shoulder injury and only played the first two games of 2019 before a foot injury kept him out for the remainder of the season.

Given that the league has prohibited clubs from meeting with players in person and instituted a rule that only local physicals may take place until further notice due to the coronavirus, teams may be reluctant to give up a premium pick for Newton — even though he was the league’s MVP in 2015.

With Brady heading to the Buccaneers, the Chargers are a potential landing spot for Newton.

Brees stays with Saints

Elsewhere in the NFC South, future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees is sticking with New Orleans on a two-year, $50 million deal. Despite being an unrestricted free agent, Brees made his intentions clear — he wanted to stay with the Saints and try to win a second championship in New Orleans.

With his contract figures, Brees did agree to a contract under his market value to help the Saints build a championship-caliber roster around him.

Rivers to the Colts

Former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is expected to sign with the Colts on a one-year, $25 million deal, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

Rivers will replace Jacoby Brissett as Indianapolis’ starting quarterback, following the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck last August.

But Rivers’ play has declined in recent years. While he finished No. 4 in yards passing last year with 4,615, he was extremely turnover prone with 20 interceptions. Only Jameis Winston (30) and Baker Mayfield (21) had more.

Pass rushers get paid

Two of the more coveted pass rushers in free agency found new homes on Tuesday. Former Cowboy Robert Quinn reached a five-year agreement with the Bears worth up to $70 million. And former Falcon Vic Beasley reached a one-year agreement with the Titans worth up to $12 million.

Quinn, a first-round pick of the Rams in 2011, once set a single-seasonfranchise record with 19 sacks back in 2013. But after reaching 10½ sacks in 2014, Quinn didn’t reach double-digits in the category until 2019 with Dallas, when he had 11½.

Also a former first-round pick, Beasley led the league with 15½ sacks in 2016, helping the Falcons become NFC champions. But since then, Beasley’s totaled 18 sacks over the last three seasons, making him expendable for Atlanta.

Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.