‘We talked about Cam Newton like Mahomes and Jackson – he could be a great signing for the Patriots’

NFL analyst Neil Reynolds talks to Standard Sport about Cam Newton's move to the New England Patriots
'He's a quarterback the size of a defensive end who can run like a running back.'
(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Tom Brady’s departure from the New England Patriots, signalling the end of the most successful quarterback dynasty in NFL history, was always likely to throw up a whole host of storylines heading into the new season.

This week, we got another as the Patriots announced the semi-surprising arrival of former league MVP Cam Newton as possibly – though not definitely – his successor in Foxborough, in what looks like one of the most intriguing deals of the summer.

Newton was released by the Carolina Panthers back in March, the franchise calling time on an association that began with the 2011 No.1 pick, included a first trip to the Super Bowl, but ended with two injury-hit seasons.

Still, MVP quarterbacks don’t come on the market every day (the Patriots, incidentally, are the first franchise in history to lose one and sign another in the same window), but according to reports in the US, the Cleveland Browns were the only other team to even approach Newton about the possibility of a deal.

 
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“I think there’s genuine concern with his durability and his health,” explains Sky Sports NFL analyst Neil Reynolds. “His 2018 season ended early with a serious shoulder injury, he only lasted two games last season with a foot injury.

“And when you look around the league a lot of teams are quite set, or at least think they have their answer, so this quarterback carousel was always going to spin and throw someone off and leave them without a seat. For a while, it was Cam Newton.”

The Patriots had been touted as a possible landing spot from pretty much the moment Brady announced his departure, so even though those rumours seemed to have gone cold, it is not the eventual outcome that has surprised many. Rather, it is two other aspects: timing and money.

After the initial hoo-ha in the wake of Brady’s departure, and all sorts of speculation in the build-up to the Draft about who Bill Belichick might look to bring in, New England looked settled on going into the new season with second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham as their starter.

Brady has joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and tempted former teammate Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to join him
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Then bang, Newton’s signing was announced, and on a deal including a measly (in NFL quarterback terms) $1.05million base salary, compared to the $16.7m Newton earned last year in Carolina, despite only taking the field twice.

Was this the Belichick masterplan all along, to wait until Newton had few options left on the table and snap him up on the cheap? Or has he gone cold on Stidham, either because of something he’s seen, or because of something he hasn’t, due to Covid restrictions on workouts?

“You don't sign Cam Newton unless you're going to give him a shot, but the money is backup quarterback money and they're reportedly very keen on Jarrett Stidham,” Reynolds says.

“I really thought Stidham was one of the winners of the offseason because they clearly weren't going after another quarterback. We don't know what they've seen behind the scenes with the mental side of the game. Is he not up to speed? Is he not where they want him to be? That's all just speculation. Or do they just feel that Cam is too good to ignore?”

How good is too good? A lot has changed in the NFL’s quarterback landscape since Newton was at his MVP best in 2015. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, winners of the award in each of the past two years, were still in the early stages of their college careers but have now become the faces of the league, seemingly heralding a new era of explosive, mobile quarterbacks to succeed the pocket-passer generation of Brady, Brees, and Rivers.

But amid all the talk of Jackson’s game-changing dual threat, it is worth remembering that it is Newton who (for a few years yet at least) holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history, and is third all-time for rushing yards among players in his position.

Mike McCarn/AP

“When Cam was at his best in 2015, we were talking about him in the same way we talk about Mahomes and Jackson, saying we hadn't seen a quarterback like this,” Reynolds says. “He's a quarterback the size of a defensive end who can run like a running back. We talked about Cam in those glowing terms and he was outstanding, and he was a special talent.”

Of course, whether Newton can reach those heights again is the big ‘if’, but there are at least mitigating circumstances for his reduced output in recent seasons, and if he can get healthy, Reynolds sees no reason why he won’t be able to enjoy a renaissance in New England.

“He's a flamboyant character coming into that building and Belichick has not shied away from signing those kinds of players,” he adds. “They toe the line and come around to the Patriots' way of thinking and I think Cam will do the same.

“If Cam Newton is anywhere close to what he was in 2015 this is a great signing because they can franchise tag him next year, work out a long-term deal. Tom Brady's 42, Newton's 31, so you could have your quarterback for the next ten years.”

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