No, you're not in a Madden simulation; Cam Newton is actually a member of the New England Patriots. The former league MVP has signed an incentive-laden deal with Bill Belichick's squad as the hoodie is now casting an even wider net in hopes of having a smooth transition process after losing Tom Brady -- the quarterback he's won all six of his Super Bowl titles with as head coach of the Patriots -- in free agency just a few short months ago.
Really, this is a no-brainer all the way around. As we mentioned above, there's a GOAT-sized hole to fill under center after Brady bolted for the Bucs. The team already had veteran Brian Hoyer, who is on his third stint with the team, on the active roster along with second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who was looked at as the favorite to land the QB1 job before this Newton news. By adding Newton into the mix, Belichick, at the bare minimum, gives himself another dart to throw at the board in hopes of hitting a bullseye to begin the post-Brady era. And this dart, in particular, has tremendous upside with little risk whatsoever.
Newton presents the highest reward out of every other quarterback currently on New England's roster. At the peak of his powers, Newton's a dynamic weapon capable of reaching MVP status and bringing a team to the brink of a Lombardi Trophy for pennies on the dollar. If Newton reached the max of this one-year deal with New England, he'll walk away with just $7.5 million, which is nothing when looking at what starting quarterbacks are making nowadays.
Cam Newton has joined the Patriots and there's a lot to go over. Tyler Sullivan joins Will Brinson to dive into everything about New England signing the ex-MVP; listen below and be sure to subscribe here for daily NFL goodness.
The question regarding Newton, however, is his health. Injuries have been a big part of Newton's NFL story over the last few years and a Lisfranc fracture derailed his 2019 season, ultimately spelled the end to his time with the Panthers, and is why the Patriots were able to get him on the cheap. Newton has been showing off his regained health and skill on social media this offseason and the Patriots are making the calculated move to ink him to a deal to see if he can recapture his magic as a legit top-10 quarterback in the league once more. By all accounts, it's a savvy gamble to make.
In fact, according to CBS Sports data analyst Stephen Oh, with Newton the Patriots have jumped up to having the third-best odds to win the AFC and are the favorites to win the AFC East. Here's how Oh's numbers look in other areas when comparing the Pats with Stidham at quarterback vs. with Newton:
| Patriots | Wins | Win% | Division | Playoffs | Conference | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
With Stidham | 7.8 | 48.8% | 28.2% | 43.4% | 2.2% | 0.9% |
With Newton | 9.3 | 58.1% | 55.0% | 72.7% | 7.9% | 3.8% |
Difference | 1.5 | 9.4% | 26.8% | 29.3% | 5.7% | 2.9% |
As for how Newton fits with New England's system, that's somewhat of a dated question. The 2020 Patriots offense likely won't look like anything we've seen from Josh McDaniels and company over the years with Brady. Because No. 12 had been in New England for so long, there's this thought that whichever quarterback comes in next will simply have to jump in the same car and be asked to drive it just like the greatest of all-time that came before. That won't be the case and Belichick said as such prior to the 2020 draft.
"Over the last two decades, everything we did, every single decision we made in terms of major planning, was made with the idea of how to make things best for Tom Brady," Belichick said back in April.
"Whoever the quarterback is, we'll try to make things work smoothly and efficiently for that player and take advantage of his strengths and his skills," he added. "Each of us has different skills. Each quarterback has a different skillset, and whatever things that particular player does well, we'll try to work towards and feature, or at least give him an opportunity to do those. And the things that either he doesn't do well or needs more experience at or whatever the case might be, then we'll try to minimize or until those things improve, work around them."
With that sentiment by Belichick in mind, the Patriots offense will likely take a step into the modern-day, which is a fantastic turn of events for Newton and his chances of taking over for Brady. That willingness by Belichick to change the offense opens the door for a bit more mobility from the man under center. Newton has shown that ability over the course of his career, rushing for 4,806 yards over the last nine seasons. New England won't turn into the 2019 Baltimore Ravens, but there should be the expectation to see more RPOs, bootlegs, and schemes of that nature that highlight those skills more than ever before.
But let's get to that million-dollar question: Does Newton actually have a chance at becoming the heir to Tom Brady? Yes. And not only that, but he's currently in the perfect storm to ultimately stick around in New England for the foreseeable future.
The injury and unprecedented offseason forced Newton to take a much smaller deal than he normally would. Had his market been any higher, the Patriots likely would've been out of the running for him as their backs are against the salary cap wall. If he can solidify himself as the starter, however, the Patriots are projected to have the sixth-most cap space in 2021, which is plenty enough to lock-in Newton, who'll be just 31 years old by the start of the 2020 season.
Sure, there's a world where Jarrett Stidham could be the next great find by Bill Belichick, and the Patriots do have the luxury of hanging onto him through the 2022 season to ultimately see if that bears any fruit. In the immediate, however, Cam Newton's potential for instant superstar play and continued Super Bowl contention is simply too tantalizing for Bill Belichick to pass up, especially at such a low cost. Even if it blows up in his face and Newton can't return to form, the Patriots will walk away largely unscathed.
But if it works, Belichick is on a path that could result in the seventh Super Bowl title of his head-coaching career.
