Today, in what many would consider a surprising move, the New England Patriots released veteran quarterback and former MVP Cam Newton. This means that rookie QB Mac Jones from Alabama will be named as the team’s new starter at the position heading into the 2021 regular season.
When discussing Newton’s release by the team, head coach Bill Belichick said numerous times that Newton was their starting quarterback but would have to earn the job again or be outplayed by someone else. Well, in the preseason according to Belichick, Jones outplayed Newton enough to be able to take the job away from him.
Jones finished the preseason playing 107 snaps, in which he went 36-of-52 for 389 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. This easily was the highest total among Patriots quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Newton started every preseason game but only played 39 snaps total, going 14-of-21 for 162 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Despite it only being the preseason, and with Newton still not being vaccinated against COVID-19 after being the first big-name NFL player to test positive for the virus during the 2020 season, the Patriots didn’t want to give him a second chance as their potential starting quarterback with the possibility that he could miss even more time if he tested positive again for COVID and was still unvaccinated.
With Newton (the former team captain) now out of town, this allows Mac Jones to have more of a leadership role without having the presence of a Pro Bowl quarterback like Newton backing him up. With that being said, veteran QB Brian Hoyer* is expected to serve as Jones’ primary backup along with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham, who could be a backup option as well later in the season once he comes off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Early Tuesday morning, in regards to Newton during the preseason and training camp, coach Belichick added that he had been “heading in the right direction“. When evaluating his team’s quarterback situation earlier, he previously said that he was looking for consistency and production over time, which included practice and games. Newton screwed himself over with this when he missed three practices because of a COVID-19 protocol “misunderstanding” last week, which forced Jones to take over the team. This occurred because he conducted COVID-19 tests outside of NFL facilities.
After being released by the Patriots, Newton posted on his Instagram account: “I really appreciate all the love and support during this time but I must say … please don’t feel sorry for me I’m good.” Newton had re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal back in March that included $3.5 million in guaranteed money. He would have earned $5.1 million if healthy and on the roster as a backup. If named the starter, along with helping the team make the playoffs, he could’ve made up to $13.6 million.
In his NFL career up until now, while playing just one season with the New England Patriots, Cam Newton was previously with the Carolina Panthers from 2011-2019. During his time there, he led the team to Super Bowl L (50) in 2015, where they lost to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 24-10. In that same season (2015), Newton was named NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Pro. His other career awards include being the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2011) and being a 3x Pro Bowl Selection (2011, 2013, 2015). Finally, Newton holds NFL records for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (70), most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season (14), and most rushing attempts by a quarterback (1,071).
Now, as a free agent on the open market, it will be interesting to see if Cam Newton gets another chance in the NFL with a new team as their potential starter or as a backup at the quarterback position. Teams interested that could be good landing spots for the 32-year-old quarterback include the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and Washington Football Team (WFT). Hopefully, Newton ends up on a team this year but, if not, he may choose to call it quits and retire from football. Either way, whatever happens, I think that he’s had a decent pro career.
*Update 1: Brian Hoyer was also part of the roster cuts for today. However, it is expected that he will come back on possibly a lower salary deal again. At this moment, there is only one active QB on the roster, Mac Jones. We will update the article once we hear more news.
*Update 2: Brian Hoyer was signed to the Patriots practice squad on September 1st, 2021, alongside Garrett Gilbert (formerly of the Dallas Cowboys). This gives the Patriots two more backup options at the QB position, but none of them are on the 53-man roster as of now. What could possibly happen is that Hoyer and Gilbert could get called up for game days and then sent back down immediately after for two games (as per the rules), so the Patriots can still roster one or two QBs behind Jones without worry.
Edited By: Rupayan “Abs” Samanta.
