Patriots: Julian Edelman and teammates react to Cam Newton returning to NE

The New England Patriots zigged when everyone thought they would zag, opting to bring back Cam Newton on a contract that could be worth as much as $14 million if he checks all of his incentive boxes in 2021.

While the Patriots went 7-9 with Newton as the quarterback last year, a season which he threw more interceptions than passing touchdowns, he did manage 12 rushing scores, and he could bounce back in 2021.

The likes of Julian Edelman weren’t exactly clamoring for Bill Belichick to bring in some new blood or start fresh with someone like Mac Jones.

Instead, they all appear thrilled that Newton will get one more chance in New England.

Edelman hyped up the Cam signing by posting as “run it back” well-wish on Instagram.

Running back Damien Harris and wide receiver Damiere Byrd offered similar praise for the former MVP, showing that there is some legitimate buzz about this offense.

Can Cam Newton bounce back with the Patriots?

Newton might not have had the best season last year, but he can at least lean on the fact that New England’s “lethal” combination of a very elementary passing game and a lack of talent at wide receiver led them to ruin. There is a minimal chance that Newton goes into 2021 with the same deficiencies at that position.

Jakobi Meyers and whatever is left of Edelman simply don’t qualify as top passing options in the modern NFL. With all of New England’s cap space and draft capital ahead of them, the Patriots should be able to get Newton some quality possession receivers and deep threats that could expand their passing game.

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While Newton was hard to watch at times, his games against the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, and their AFC East rivals show that when he gets into a groove, he can still rip the ball down the field. In 2021, with some extra burners next to him, we could see more of Carolina Cam come out.

There is a zero percent chance that Newton would’ve come back to New England if Belichick didn’t absolutely believe he can be the guy. Judging from the reactions of the locker room, Cam has engendered a lot of goodwill despite one unusual season up in Foxborough, and that momentum might be able to carry over into next season.