Seahawks have reached out to Cam Newton in Russell Wilson’s absence

The Seattle Seahawks have reached out to Cam Newton during Russell Wilson’s absence from the team after surgery on an injured finger.

Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was the first game Wilson had missed for the Seahawks since December 2012. The earliest he will return is the Week 10 game against the Green Bay Packers on 14 November. Geno Smith has filled in adequately for the Seahawks in Wilson’s absence but on Monday Seattle coach Pete Carroll admitted the team had talked to Newton.

Related: Belichick denies Patriots cut former MVP Cam Newton due to vaccination status

“Just so you know, we have talked to him,” Carroll told 710 ESPN’s Mike Salk. “We’re talking to everybody that could help us.”

Newton was released by the New England Patriots before the start of the season, and there was speculation that the move was due to the quarterback’s vaccination status. The Patriots denied those reports and Newton said he has been vaccinated against Covid-19. He also said on his YouTube channel on Sunday that: "Hell yeah, I still want to play football.” The 32-year-old added that he had received offers from NFL teams but said “it has to be right”. He did not mention any teams by name.

Newton could be a good temporary solution for the Seahawks. He is not the player he was when he was named NFL MVP in 2015 but he can still make plays on the ground and through the air. However, he was unspectacular as New England’s starting quarterback last season and may not be a significant upgrade on Smith.