On Sunday, the New England Patriots signed former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton Patriots to a one-year deal.
Newton, who was released by the Panthers in March, will step into the mix to try to help replace former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Who left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
Even though Brady announced his decision to sign with the Buccaneers before the NFL draft. The Patriots did not select a quarterback in the draft. Opting to stick with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and 11-year veteran Brian Hoyer as their quarterbacks. What does the Cam Newton Patriots deal mean?
In a brief message posted on Instagram on Sunday night, Newton wrote. “I’m excited as I don’t know what right now!” along with the hashtag “#LETSgoPATS.”
Newton played in only two games last season due to a foot injury. Which made a lot of teams hesitant to sign him when free agency began.
However, he passed a physical conducted by the Panthers and his agency and is expected to be ready when training camps open.
News of Cam Newton Patriots Deal for 2021
Newton will compete with Hoyer and Stidham for the starting job, but is expected to be New England’s starting quarterback when the season begins.
The 31-year-old quarterback was the league MVP in 2015, when he led the Panthers to an appearance in the Super Bowl, a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. How has the Newton Patriots deal hurt Panthers?
Head coach Bill Belichick has expressed his respect for Newton in the past and will be hoping his newest quarterback can help the team remain a contender in the AFC.
“When you’re talking about mobile quarterbacks, guys that are tough to handle, tackle, can throw, run, make good decisions — I mean, I would put Newton at the top the list,” Belichick said in 2017 prior to a game against the Panthers. The Cam Newton Patriots news came as a shock to Tom Brady.
“Not saying that there aren’t a lot of other good players that do that, but I would say, of all the guys we play or have played recently in the last couple of years, he’s the hardest guy to deal with. He makes good decisions, he can run, he’s strong, he’s hard to tackle. He can do a lot of different things, beat you in a lot of different ways.
We saw that in the game down there in ’13. So I would put him at the top of the list. Not saying the other guys aren’t a problem. Because they are, but he’s public enemy No. 1.”