My Thoughts on the Patriots signing Cam Newton

wôw, ß1LL bél1ch1ck F1NALLY d1d IT, s1gn1ng Qß Càm NÊWTÖN tô A ônéYÊAR,incént1vé-bàséd CÖNTRACT. Okay, I'll save everyone the headache by using a normal font, but like the characters above, the news of the former MVP heading to Foxboro is, well, wacky. The Giants capped off this year's draft over two months ago; why did one of the greatest coach in NFL History make this move now? What does this mean for youngster Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer, two QBs poised for a rare New England-based starting QB competition? There's a lot to unravel with this rare headline-grabbing late-June signing, so let's look at the different components:

Thoughts on Newton's Contract:

The contract that New England dotted Newton too is perfect for both sides, and the only way this deal would've worked out. "Superman" should be ecstatic (which it sounds like he is) that there was a team willing to sign him to a contract of any kind, especially since news of Newton willing to sign for backup money and news of him signing with NE were months apart. On the other hand, the Patriots got a great deal here; they now have three quarterbacks on the roster (all close enough skill-wise to compete for the starting spot) being payed up to a combined $9-10M this seasons. And, if Newton ends up being a bust by the time the regular season rolls around, the Patriots lose virtually nothing in cap (since it's an incentive-based deal). It's a typical Patriots deal we see almost every off-season: sign a bigger name, past his prime player to a high reward, low risk contract and see how much they have left in the tank come training camp.

Thoughts on Newton's Fit in New England:

How Newton fits in this Patriots offense is fascinating to me. Throughout his HC career, Belichick's offensive game plan has been accompanied by a strong-armed gunslinger who rarely leaves the pocket. Newton, especially when he starred (and took home MVP) on the 2015 Panthers team, has been well known for being a mobile present in the pocket who's not afraid to scramble to advance the ball. These too opposites might not be as different as it seems. During his time as the HC of the Bronocs, Newton's new OC, Josh McDaniels, teamed up with Tim Tebow (a QB whose playing style is much like Newton's) to lead Denver to a surprise playoff appearance in 2011; what's to say he can't do the same with Newton? Belichick also had a lot of good things to say about Newton and his mobile-playing style back in 2017: "When you're talking about mobile quarterbacks, guys that are tough to handle, tackle, can throw, run, make a good decision - I mean, I would put Newton at the top of that list... of all the guys we play or have played recently in the last couple years, I would definitely put him - he's the hardest guy to deal with". Now, Newton has had a number of injuries since Belichick said that, including a Lisfranc fracture that sidelined him all 2019. However, the 8-time SB champion coach seems high on the idea of playing a QB who is willing to run; I would certainly expect McDaniels and Belichick to adapt their playbook to Newton's playing style. Newton's only 31, so if all goes well he could play in this system for 4-5 years.

Thoughts on Newton's Place in NE's QB Room:

Not only did the Newton signing shake up the playoff optimism of some AFC Teams, but it also shook up the competition for starting-signal caller within the Patriots. Pre-8 PMish on June 28, it looked as if Brian Hoyer would compote for the starting spot but likely take a backseat to Jarrett Stidham, a fourth-round pick from a year ago, come September. Since New England passed on taking a quarterback in this year's draft, "Studham" looked poised to try and fill the unfillable shoes left behind by a Tampa-bound Thomas Patrick Edward Brady Jr. The Newton signing changes all of this. Especially if Newton is as healthy as his spam of workouts on Instagram suggests, Stidham could be the one taking a backseat to the former #1 overall pick. The fact that the Patriots signed Newton this late in the offseason questions how much trust McDaniels and Belichick originally had in Stidham; he should be the most alarmed by this fresh face in Foxboro. If I were to guess what the Pats' QB Depth Chart looks like come Week 1, I think the most likely scenario is: Newton starts, but has the added pressure to do well due to Stidham sitting as QB2. As far as Hoyer goes, the journeyman slides to QB3 if Belichick decides to keep a third-string; Hoyer calls it a career after 11 Seasons if Belichick rolls with just Newton and Stidham.

Thoughts on Reactions from Fans/Media:

This was the one part of this news that really had me confused: how optimistic fans and media NOW are for the Patriots this season. As many of you know by now, I'm a diehard Patriots fan, and I wanna see them carry on the Brady-era success as much as anyone, but I gotta be a realist here. Don't get me wrong this 2020 Patriots team is going to be very good: One of the top 5 defenses, a strong running back group and now a proven quarterback who should still prime left in him. But to say New England all of a sudden are Super Bowl Contenders after the signing of Newton is utter tomfoolery. A week ago we were talking about this team possibly being in a position by early November to tank for a Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields in the draft; all of a sudden the Patriots can dethrone some of the NFL's biggest powerhouses like Kansas City and Baltimore? TOMFOOLERY. Yes, Newton as of right now is an upgrade over Stidham, but there are still two huge unknowns with him. First off, what does Cam's 100% look like coming off so many injuries? Some people have said we could see an MVP-caliber season from Cam, and that he could be up there with Mahomes and Jackson. I don't see him coming close to that; best QB in the AFC East is the highest achievable accolade for Newton. The second biggest concern for Newton is who's he going to throw to? His O-Line protection will be far and away better than what he had in Carolina, but the same can't be said for the weapons around him. Whether he was throwing to Greg Olsen and Steve Smith a few years back or Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore more recently, Newton has never had success playing with such poor receiving talent as he has in NE. Overall, I think this is an above-average Patriots team; I'd bet on them making the playoffs as a wild card team behind Buffalo and possibly win a game in the divisional round depending on the match-up.

The much anticipated Post-Brady Patriots just got a little more interesting, and like fans across the world, I'm excited to see if Cam Newton is the answer.