Patriots: Now is the perfect time to sign Cam Newton to a contract extension

There hasn’t been a more perfect time for the Patriots to sign QB Cam Newton to a contract extension.

The New England Patriots could luck out and only see Cam Newton miss just one game after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 leading up to their Week 4 showdown with Kansas City.

Per reports, the 31-year-old quarterback has been asymptomatic in recent days, which means that if he tests negative twice — and those two tests are at least 24 hours apart — he would be cleared to return for Sunday’s game against Denver, assuming it isn’t postponed. Considering how inept their aerial attack looked against an admittedly soft Chiefs secondary, that would be massive news for the Patriots.

Speaking of which, when you couple the egregious performances of Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham with the fact that practice is currently on hold in light of cornerback Stephon Gilmore contracting the virus, now might just be the perfect time for the Patriots to sign their superstar gunslinger to a contract extension.

It seems inevitable that the Patriots are going to extend Newton, so why not now? Play is currently on hold due to their mini coronavirus outbreak and it’s very much in the realm of possibility that Sunday’s game against Denver gets postponed if they aren’t able to practice before then or, of course, players continue to test positive.

If we know anything about head coach Bill Belichick, it’s that he loves to keep a low profile. Well, all of this COVID-19 controversy would serve as the perfect smokescreen if he was to sign Newton to an extension.

On top of that, the former MVP’s overall value and importance to the team was on full display against the Chiefs. His replacements combined to complete just 54% of their passes (20-of-37) for 190 yards and one touchdown compared to a lost fumble and three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.

To think that media members were convinced that there was an actual QB competition in training camp is nothing short of laughable. Not only has Newton been exceptional through three games, but Monday night proved that he is worlds better than his two backups. That doesn’t even accurately articulate the sheer gap between the three signal callers.

Want the icing on the cake? The earlier this deal gets done, the cheaper it will be. If the Patriots continue to procrastinate and Newton’s remarkable form continues, his demand will only skyrocket. If they wait until he hits the open market in March, well, we don’t really have to tell you what will happen to his value.

Now is quite simply the perfect time for Belichick and Co. to get the three-time Pro Bowler locked up for the next couple of years.

Patriots: Latest details of Stephon Gilmore’s positive test make it clear NE should not have played

The latest details of cornerback Stephon Gilmore's positive COVID-19 test makes it clear the Patriots shouldn't have played in Week 4.