The Patriots are bringing back quarterback Cam Newton on a one-year, incentive-laden deal worth up to $14 million, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n
New England re-signing the former MVP after a shaky 2020 season is not surprising, and there\u2019s important context to consider both about his performance a year ago and the QB market.<\/p>\n
First, the Patriots tried to upgrade the veteran quarterback on their roster but were rebuffed.<\/p>\n
According to a league source, New England called the 49ers recently about the availability of former Pats quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo but were told that Garoppolo wasn\u2019t available right now. Similarly, they were told by the Raiders that Derek Carr was also not on the trade block.<\/p>\n
And as we\u2019ve reported multiple times, the Patriots were not impressed by the free-agent class at quarterback; they had no interest in Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, or Mitchell Trubisky, or anyone else.<\/p>\n
Fitzpatrick is the one name that could\u2019ve made sense out of that list, but the Patriots think that Newton\u2019s 2020 season was rock-bottom and that Fitzpatrick, with zero experience in the system, doesn\u2019t present an upgrade for them in their short-term outlook at quarterback.<\/p>\n
The most logical choice was then to bring back Newton, who is rejoining the team on a contract that\u2019s a \u201cbet on yourself\u201d deal filled with incentives if Newton starts and performs well.<\/p>\n
In the first two weeks of last season, Newton\u2019s rhythm and mechanics within the framework of the offense Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels altered around him were in-sync.<\/p>\n
Newton\u2019s progression speed, footwork on his throws, and timing within structure slipped away as the season wore on, due in part to a battle with COVID-19 that stalled his season a year ago.<\/p>\n
Although the Patriots believe Newton can play better, this agreement to bring back the 31-year-old by no means takes them out of the quarterback market moving forward.<\/p>\n
Now the attention for New England turns to the draft, and National Scout Matt Groh will attend North Dakota State\u2019s and top quarterback Trey Lance\u2019s Pro Day on Friday, per Albert Breer.<\/p>\n
The Patriots continue to do extensive work on the 2021 quarterback class while obviously keeping their intentions close to the vest. The vetting included a trip to the presumptive number one pick Trevor Lawrence\u2019s showcase, and the expectation is the Pats will attend Pro Days for all the top quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
At this juncture, I\u2019m told the Patriots also like the depth of this QB class, which could hint at an interest in Texas A&M\u2019s Kellen Mond, Wake Forest\u2019s Jamie Newman, or Stanford\u2019s Davis Mills.<\/p>\n
On the surface, re-signing Newton might panic Patriots fans into thinking we are heading for another 7-9 season where the team falls well-short of the product we are used to seeing.<\/p>\n
However, the deal is being portrayed more as Newton being a part of a quarterback room that will likely have at least one other option with starter upside, not including Jarrett Stidham.<\/p>\n
The Pats wanted to lock in a veteran quarterback before the start of free agency in hopes of luring pass-catchers to New England; they knew they had no chance with Stidham as the lone quarterback rostered.<\/p>\n
Although today\u2019s news is that Newton is back, the Patriots aren\u2019t done adding at quarterback.<\/p>\n
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The Patriots are bringing back quarterback Cam Newton on a one-year, incentive-laden deal worth up to $14 million, according to multiple reports. New England re-signing the former MVP after a shaky 2020 season is not surprising, and there\u2019s important context to consider both about his performance a year ago and the QB market. First, the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":131993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[211,210,494],"class_list":["post-63363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-cam-newton","tag-patriots","tag-trey-lance"],"yoast_head":"\n