Three months after being released by the Carolina Panthers rebuilders, Cam Newton heads to the New England Patriots. The 31-year-old quarterback and 2015 MVP struck a deal on a one-year contract with the Patriots, who moved from Tom Brady this offseason.
Newton, who is continuing his rehabilitation after foot surgery in December, underwent a physical exam in Atlanta on March 23, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He passed the physical examination and is healthy, with his right shoulder, which was injured in 2018, and his left foot “checking well,” a source told Schefter. Newton will compete with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer for initial work in New England.
What was the in-league reaction to Newton’s move to the Patriots? Are you locked up as your Week 1 opener? And are they the favorites, once again, to win the AFC East? We asked 10 ESPN NFL reporters and analysts to answer 10 questions on the fly:
Assuming Newton is healthy, do you expect him to be the Patriots’ starter in 2020?
Mike Reiss, reporter for the Patriots: You won’t be handed the job, which is generally not the way it works in New England, but it should be a favorite based on your resume and big game experience.
Bill Belichick often says it’s up to players to determine their roles, and for Newton to win the job, his first step will be to immerse himself in the Patriots’ tough driving culture that requires players to check their egos at the door and put on gear First. Then there will be an acclimatization to the new terminology in the offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels system. So there is no guarantee. But given that his professional resume compares to Stidham and Hoyer, it seems fair to say that it is now Newton’s job to lose.
Does this mean that the Patriots don’t like Stidham as much as we thought, or was this deal too good to pass up?
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