Patriots: Robert Kraft’s mind is still blown he got Cam Newton

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is still shocked about how Cam Newton was available to sign for as long as he was.

Patriots quarterback Cam Newton’s early success with his new franchise has made fans forget about his befuddling free agency saga, during which he didn’t receive a sniff of interest from an NFL team for close to three months.

The excuse that Newton was coming off foot and shoulder surgeries was understandable at first, but everybody with a social media account (he was regularly posting savage workout videos) was aware of how healthy and motivated he looked post-rehab.

Newton’s lack of a market ultimately saw him ink a team-friendly contract with the Patriots, which prompted haters to complain to the rest of the NFL for allowing them to sign a former MVP just months after losing franchise legend Tom Brady to free agency.

It’s nothing short of absurd how the quarterback situation has played out for the Patriots, and owner Robert Kraft is still wrapping his mind around how Newton landed right in their six-time-champion-winning laps.

"“I tell you, I can’t understand how he was on the market for 86 days,” Kraft said during an interview on the CBS pregame show on Sunday. “Sometimes when you meet people who are No. 1 picks in the league, they’re not always team-first kind of guys. And he really is. Our whole locker room feels it.”"

We don’t always agree with Kraft, but he hit the nail right on the head here. The fact that Newton spent close to 90 days on the open market without receiving as much as a phone call from a team inviting him in for a workout is laughable considering that he made it clear via terrifying Instagram videos that he was in incredible shape and in the right headspace.

Newton has led the Patriots to a 2-1 record so far, and he could easily be undefeated had Seattle not stuffed him at the goal line on the final play of regulation in Week 2. In three starts, he’s completing 68.1% of his passes (62-of-91) for 714 yards with two touchdowns and interceptions apiece.

He’s been just as (if not more) effective on the ground, taking 35 carries for 149 yards (4.3 YPC) and a league-leading four touchdowns. In fact, Newton passed Randall Cunningham on Sunday to move into sole position of second place on the all-time list for rushing yards by a quarterback. He now trails Michael Vick by 1,154 yards for the No. 1 spot.

We’re coming close to running out of words to describe how perfectly Newton fits with head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ buttoned-up culture. The rest of the NFL should be kicking themselves for giving the league’s winningest franchise a clear path to sign a stud in Newton who looks as fresh and refined as ever under center.

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