FOXBOROUGH, MA – AUGUST 22: Cam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers runs with the ball in the first quarter of a preseason game against Terrence Brooks #25 of the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 22, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
The Patriots reportedly were interested in signing Cam Newton and reached out earlier this offseason.
It seems hard to believe the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots – who have Bill Belichick as their head coach – are really going to rely on Jarrett Stidham to be the successor to Tom Brady.
Nothing against Stidham, but he completed just two passes last year for 14 yards and also threw an interception. Brady had to re-enter a game before of Stidham’s poor performance.
It seemed to make ample sense the Patriots would try to bring in Cam Newton, but after Josh McDaniels didn’t seem impressed by Newton, it wasn’t looking like that would come to fruition.
According to ESPN, however, there was some interest for the Patriots this offseason.
League sources believe Newton and the New England Patriots talked early during his free agency but nothing materialized.
How would Cam Newton help the Patriots?
When it comes down to it, anyone would take Newton over Stidham. Why? We know what Newton can do. We don’t know what Stidham can do yet, at least not at the professional level.
It wasn’t long ago that Newton led his Panthers team to a 15-1 record, NFC title and Super Bowl appearance, only to fall short against the Broncos. That Broncos team had one of the best defenses the NFL has ever seen, so Newton getting hit by them all night long wasn’t anything shocking.
Newton won the MVP title that season for his efforts, but he hasn’t been quite the guy in the four seasons that have passed since then. His style of play leads to more injuries, which, in turn, doesn’t pave the way for a long career. Even still, Newton is a good enough passer and can still make plays with his legs when needed, he shouldn’t rely on that for every play.
The Patriots don’t have any great options at quarterback and Newton would be far and away the best signal-caller on their team if New England were to sign him. He’s not top-tier anymore, but he’s a higher tier than Stidham or Brian Hoyer.
With Andy Dalton in Dallas as a backup, the Patriots really need to bring in someone who can play quarterback for them. Their defense is still really good and Belichick is a tremendous coach, which means they shouldn’t be written off because Brady’s gone.
Signing Newton would keep the faith in Foxborough. Newton is still good enough to be a starter and as long as he can limit using his legs (therefore limiting the risk of injury), he could be a great signing for the Patriots.