Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has finally found a home. Newton has agreed to an incentive-laden deal with the New England Patriots that instantly give the Patriots a quarterback and will make them Super Bowl contenders again after losing Tom Brady in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Newton was released in March by the Carolina Panthers, the team that selected him first overall in 2011. He had been on the free agent market since, garnering only moderate interest from a handful of teams who were scared off by Newton’s injury history and style of play.
He is currently rehabbing from foot surgery, but has so far passed physicals which have given him a clean bill of health heading into the 2020 season.
The Patriots were primed to enter the season with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer as their top two quarterbacks. Stidham, the Patriots’ fourth-round pick in 2019, was tentatively listed as the starter with the 11-year veteran Hoyer backing him up.
Adding Cam Newton instantly upgrades the quarterback position for Bill Belichick and the Patriots and takes them from a bubble playoff team back into title contention.
Newton will be joining a roster that is just one year removed from a Super Bowl victory. While he will have to earn his starting spot, it is expected that he will and he should, if healthy, find the New England offense much to his liking. He won’t be asked to carry as much of the load as he was in Carolina for the last few years. He will have professional receivers in Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu, Sr., who will also be joined by youngster N’Keal Harry and Marqise Lee.
This is the best receiving corps that Newton has had on paper in half of a decade. He will also have a capable running back in Sony Michel.
Given the Patriots’ offense in the last few years, this is a low risk, high reward for Belichick and the Patriots. Cam Newton gives the offense a veteran quarterback with playoff experience, as well as an MVP trophy on a team that was a borderline Super Bowl contender. Adding Newton puts them back into the conversation.
Last season, Newton only played in two games and looked like a shell of his former self due to injuries. He failed to throw for a single touchdown. However, he did throw for 24 with just 13 interceptions in 2018 while completing 67.9 percent of his passes, by far his highest mark in his career.
Newton is a more than capable quarterback. Belichick has long been known to get the most out of his players regardless of position. This could very well be a match made in heaven if you are a Patriots fan and a match made in hell for any other AFC East team.
If Cam Newton is healthy and ready to go this season, the Patriots will contend for a Super Bowl.
