Rivera unlikely to sign Newton: 'We have a young football team'

While Cam Newton should have a handful of suitors on the open market, don't expect a reunion with Ron Rivera.

Rivera, the current head coach of the Washington Redskins, was asked about the possibility of signing Newton but admitted his team was going in a different direction.

"At the end of the day, we have a young football team with a young quarterback in position," Rivera said, according to team writer Kyle Stackpole. "We have the chance to set and establish a thing, so that's the way we're looking at it.

"Going forward, you never know what's going to happen," he continued. "But where we are right now, and we made a commitment to young guys to find out who we have as a football team."

Dwayne Haskins, Washington's 2019 first-round pick, currently sits atop the team's depth chart, with former Carolina Panthers signal-caller Kyle Allen behind him. Rivera said he's "going into camp believing" Haskins will start in 2020, but he also has high hopes for his recently acquired backup.

"Kyle fits what we do," he said. "He understands our system. Scott Turner is our offensive coordinator, and we're using the system we basically had in place for nine seasons (in Carolina)."

Newton and Rivera both joined the Panthers in 2011 and spent nine seasons leading the franchise. The former No. 1 overall pick was officially released Tuesday, while Rivera was fired during the 2019 campaign.