The Miami Dolphins’ search for a new quarterback is hopefully nearing the climax. The Dolphins have been saving up draft picks and cap space to position themselves to strike a new face of the franchise — one that will help Dolphins fans forget the last 20 years and eventually take the mantle from Dan Marino as Miami’s greatest quarterback.

But does that search have to feature the acquisition of a prominent draft prospect? It didn’t have to. It could have culminated with the signing of Drew Brees in free agency instead of Dante Culpepper. That, of course, didn’t happen and the rest is history. But now the Dolphins have the chance to strike with confidence and hopefully put this quarterback talk to bed for the next decade.

And because of the chance they have, the Dolphins can’t seriously consider veteran QB Cam Newton as a legitimate answer.

This has nothing to do with Newton’s skill as a quarterback. He’s very clearly capable of playing great football, as evidenced by his MVP season back in 2015. That year, Newton carried the Panthers to a 15-1 record and an appearance in the Super Bowl. The Dolphins haven’t sniffed anything close to that level of success in decades — but 5 years is a long time in the NFL world. And Newton may, or may not, still have the potential to play at such a high level. Newton has suffered multiple injuries to his throwing shoulder and endured a season-ending foot injury in 2019. Soon to be 31 years old, there are too many strikes against him for the Dolphins to seriously consider him as a potential solution.

Miami’s quest for a quarterback didn’t transpire just for the team to be in the market again in 4 years. That’s what they likely face with the prospect of pursuing Newton. At best.

And so, no. The idea of 2015 Cam Newton manning the controls of Miami’s offense is a lot of fun to think about. But the Dolphins can’t go around chasing false promises and ghosts from the past. Their search is in the here and now. It’s best to let Newton be.