Just as they were about to stream an episode of their podcast live on Sunday night, Devin and Jason McCourty learned that they were getting a new teammate.
Veteran quarterback Cam Newton was revealed to have agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots, prompting several players, including fellow defenseman Stephon Gilmore, to tweet eyeball emoji. The McCourty twins quickly joined in the fun, tweeting two pairs of eyes, one for each of them.
“I’m excited,” Jason said on his “Double Coverage” podcast. “I think [coach] Bill [Belichick] He always says that the goal of any good team is to have as many good players as possible. Cam Newton is a former MVP of this league, he played in the Super Bowl, that caliber of player, so I think the better players we have in our locker room, the better we can perform as a team. “
Newton will join fourth round pick in the 2019 draft Jarrett Stidham and 34-year-old travel official Brian Hoyer in the quarterback room. His presence should only push the team to be better, Devin said.
“I think it will be interesting, just the training camp and the competition and all that,” he said. “I think adding him to our quarterback room with B. Hoyer, you have veterans there, you have young boys there, I think it will give us a very good opportunity to be good in that position.”
Jason added: “More competition is going to bring out the best in all of us.”
The Patriots are not expected to return to Gillette Stadium until training camp, which generally begins in late July.
When asked by a fan about his thoughts on how the offense with Newton will unfold, Devin referred to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He expressed faith in McDaniels to optimize Newton’s athletics. In 2017, Newton ran for 754 yards, the most of his career, along with six touchdowns.
“Either he or Stiddy, because Stiddy also has good athletics, I think Josh will figure it out and do his best for those guys,” Devin said.
As for whether Devin was surprised by the movement? The answer was no.
“I’m never surprised by anything we do as a Patriots organization,” he said. “I feel like everything we do is always in the process of thinking about trying to win and win championships. I think that’s what it’s about, trying to improve the team. It never surprises me when we try to do that. I hope we can get together, and when we get together, everything is going according to plan and we can try to win games. “
