Patriots free agency 2021: The case against re-signing Cam Newton
Will Cam Newton get another chance to redeem himself as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots?
As much as the 2015 NFL MVP and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick adore one another, the answer to that question appears to be no…or at least it should be considering the team missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade and the offense looked mediocre at best.
But was it really fair to Newtown who signed late with the team in the 2020 offseason, had not much to work with when it came to offensive playmakers and had to deal with COVID on top of it all.
Even with those barriers, just 8 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions was just not cutting it on the offensive side of the football. Cam knows it, the Patriots know it, but former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson believes it could still work in New England.
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Appearing on “NFL Live” last week, Johnson rattled the Patriots fanbase with this bold prediction.
"“I’m gonna have to go with Cam Newton back in New England,” Johnson said, via NESN. “I know a lot of people think that experiment went south. But it doesn’t seem like it quite to me. It seems like that they would like to try and find some other playmakers to build around him, possibly, because going out and drafting, getting a young quarterback, that means that you are rebooting your entire team to make a run over the next five, six, seven years. Does (Bill) Belichick really have that long to sit around and wait?”"
That’s a nice little argument and bold prediction by Johnson, but not buying it. There are just too many other opportunities at the quarterback position out there for Belichick to just stand pat at that position, especially a season after not making the playoffs.
Why the New England Patriots shouldn’t re-sign Cam Newton
If Cam Newton is willing to re-sign as a backup quarterback, well bring him back. As the starter? That is a big fat no.
As a primarily running quarterback, Newton just doesn’t seem to have the decision making the Patriots need at the quarterback position. Even with viable playmakers, will he even be able to get them the ball down the field?
Leadership aside, Newton wasn’t able to make the players around him better and that is what the team will need going forward offensively.
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In fairness to any quarterback leading the Patriots in 2021, no one is going to be able to do what Tom Brady did for nearly two decades…at least not right away.
Unless the team loses out on every other opportunity out there, including a potential return of Jimmy, the answer is simply not Newton based on the 15 games he started in 2020.