Cam Newton says goodbye to Patriots in emotional Instagram story

Yeah, it shocked all of us. Cam Newton’s release stirred up the NFL news cycle on Tuesday.

Not to mention, it came after the assumed QB1 took to Instagram plenty of times providing cryptic messages as it applies to the QB position. Couple that with head coach Bill Belichick pretty much saying that Newton was going to be the starting QB, it made for a whirlwind of confusion for any fan.

But why would the New England Patriots drop Newton like a hot potato after everything seemed gravy just 24 hours prior? Well, there are plenty of reasons why. From Mac Jones’ breakout performance in the preseason to concerns about Newton missing a very crucial joint practice with the New York Giants, executive decisions had to be made in crunch time.

But man oh man is it a shocker to see this happen, especially in such an abrupt fashion.

While we’ve been zeroed in on how surprising it is Jones will be starting for the Patriots come Week 1, we haven’t really zeroed in on the reaction from the person directly impacted by all of this.

Cam Newton takes to Instagram to share a heartfelt message on his release, but vows that this is not a somber moment.

Surprisingly, Newton took the news with stride. The now-former Patriot took to IG and in Cam Newton fashion, said this on his story:

Besides the fact that only Cam Newton would write like this, he doesn’t seem angry or disgruntled about the situation. Perhaps because he saw the writing on the wall.

Take the Pats using a first-round pick on a quarterback in forever and the fact that Belichick still hadn’t named Newton the starter deep into August, and that tells you a lot. While Jones has only had preseason play under his belt, Newton’s performance in 2020 was downright awful. Granted, he had big shoes to fill, but it was especially bad, devoid of the many factors working against him.

And lastly, there’s a chance Belichick viewed Cam’s supposed unvaccinated status as a disadvantage for the team.

There’s a an advantage that comes with players and teams with higher vaccination rates than others based on the NFL’s new and strict protocols. There’s very little chance Belichick was going to risk having his starting QB fracture the team’s progress or momentum by having to miss time because of a positive test.

The icing on the cake is the fact that Newton had COVID last year, which likely impacted his performance and further derailed his lone season in New England.

Is he going to be missed?

Yes.

Was this a shock?

Absolutely.

But Cam is known to be a positive light. Though his time with the Patriots will only be memorable because of his funny quotes and eccentric outfits, fans are no doubt wishing him the best in his next endeavor.

Patriots shockingly release Cam Newton to pave way for Mac Jones era

Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reported that the Patriots decided to release quarterback Cam Newton, and Adam Schefter confirmed it.