The latest Cam Newton news is that the Patriots starting job may not be his.

When the New England Patriots announced that they had signed former Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, many assumed Newton would be the one to succeed Tom Brady, who left the Patriots for Tampa Bay during the offseason.

However, head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t feel the same way and recently told reporters that if Newton wants the starting job, he has to earn it at training camp.

“That spot is the same as all the other spots on the team. We have a long way to go. We’ll see how things turn out,” Belichick said in his first public remarks since Newton signed with the team. “I can’t control how players perform; that’s up to them. We’ll give everyone an opportunity and see what happens. I don’t know.”

Cam Newton News Update for Starting Quarterback

“We spent quite a bit of time with Cam, [had] a number of different people, and a number of different conversations, just trying to see how the fit would be. It was very positive on our end. I’m glad it worked out,” Belichick said.

Newton is expected to compete with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham. Brian Hoyer, an 11-year veteran, is also on the depth chart alongside undrafted free agent Brian Lewerke of Michigan State.

The 31-year-old Newton has ground to make up after missing the team’s virtual offseason program during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The meetings were beneficial for all of us — for the players, the staff — kind of bringing things together. I felt like we did what we could do. We got a lot out of the opportunities we had,” Belichick said, acknowledging they were different from being able to practice on the field.