Superman to New England

After months of speculation, Adam Schefter officially announced via Twitter that the New England Patriots are signing Former Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton, to a one year deal. 

Newton faced a frustrating past few seasons, playing only two games in 2019 but has proved throughout his 9 seasons to be an offensive threat, when activated. Currently with 58 rushing touchdowns, the quarterback will bring strength to the offense through running the ball. This run-heavy offense was shown in moves made this offseason, from franchising Joe Thuney to signing strong tight ends. Some have concern that he won’t be ‘invincible’ again, considering that it’s been 5 years since his MVP season, but his 2017 and half of 2018 seasons prove that even when plagued with an injured supporting line, he can be a solid quarterback. 

In a step to heal the Tom Brady departure wound, Newton knowingly has large shoes to fill. This could be an extremely rewarding outcome for New England, if the quarterback is healthy, recovering from foot surgery in early March. Whether Newton sticks around past the 2020-2021 season, this move makes sense for the Patriots. With all the turmoil that this offseason brought, Newton took a slightly lower deal than typical. If he was firm on going higher, he likely would not have signed with New England due to their salary cap. This also makes sense not just off the field but on. The New England Patriots have a six time championship winning head coach, who has been able to assemble Super Bowl rings when the odds were stacked against. Adding a former NFL MVP quarterback can’t hurt. 

In a low-risk move, the Patriots now have a three quarterback deep roster. Though Newton is without a doubt the highest performing quarterback they have, Belichick will continue to monitor progress between him, Jason Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Coach Bill Belichick focuses on the familiarity with the playbook and the New England system. This could really determine the starting spot between Stidham and Newton.

The AFC East just became a little more interesting. A week ago, the Bills seemed to be the leader of the pack, but a lineup of him versus Cam Newton knocks them back. The Miami Dolphins made some interesting post-season moves, signing first round draft pick Tua Tagovailoa, and many former Patriots players. While these moves were better for Miami, they will have to make big changes to top the Bills and Patriots. With all the trade rumors around Jamal Adams and the somewhat disappointing showing from Sam Darnold, stock just doesn’t seem to be rising for the Jets. Lots of unpredictability looms in this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it will be one of the most interesting seasons to follow thanks to the many wild offseason moves.