Patriots’ relationship with Cam Newton reportedly over ahead of finale
By Adam Weinrib
The Patriots and Cam Newton are ending their relationship.
When Cam Newton arrived in New England on the precipice of the regular season, Patriots fans believed they’d found the steal of the offseason.
A quarterback who’d be able to unleash the full arsenal of Josh McDaniels’ offensive game plan. A mobile destructor with a cannon arm. The 2015 NFL MVP available for chump change.
Unfortunately, the doubters proved to be right, and at no point after Week 2 in Seattle was Newton a perfect fit for the Pats’ transition year after Tom Brady.
Though it felt like an inevitability for most of the back half of 2020, Adam Schefter reported on the season’s final Sunday that Newton and the Patriots had fun together, but mutually decided to move on for next season.
The #Patriots enjoyed their relationship with Cam Newton this season but the expectation is that both sides will move in different directions this offseason, per @AdamSchefter. Newton will once again be a free agent.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 3, 2021
Whether Newton will be moving on to a starting role in any capacity has yet to be decided.
Newton brought his affable persona to the table each week of 2020, and his personality was an ideal fit for any franchise. Bill Belichick himself made a point of being blown away by the quarterback’s work ethic and leadership qualities routinely during the season, and every surface element of the relationship seemed to be a perfect match.
Unfortunately, the performance wasn’t up to snuff, and Newton’s throwing shoulder never looked entirely healed, despite his protestations to the contrary.
The 31-year-old completed 65.4% of his passes, though the end result of most drives was a bit more dissatisfying than that, as evidenced by his bottom-of-the-barrel five touchdown passes to 10 interceptions — though he often punched the ball in himself, recording 12 rushing scores.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1343908638906347521?s=20
The Patriots’ QB succession plan is still garbled entering the 2021 draft, at which point it probably makes more sense to target someone like Alabama’s Mac Jones than it does to wait around for Jarrett Stidham or pray for another last-minute solution like Newton.
The Newton swing this offseason was a valiant attempt, but the Pats were likely hoping for either an injury-riddled bottoming out or a rebirth season that cemented their immediate future under center (remember the early-season extension talks?). Unfortunately, they’ll end up at 7-9 or 6-10, stuck firmly in the middle, and without Newton in place anymore to absorb the blame.
