If Patriots fans thought 2020 was bad, 2021 hasn’t been much better.
After suffering through a 7-9 year where Tom Brady won another Super Bowl with another franchise, Patriots fans were hoping that free agency and the draft would provide new hope for a quicker rebuild. Instead, just days before the one year anniversary of Brady’s decision to leave, Bill Belichick twisted the knife a little more early Friday morning when it was announced Cam Newton would be returning on a 1-year deal worth up to $14-million if he hits all the incentives.
If you followed our Patriots coverage or have listened or watched to any of our live shows, you know I am not a Cam Newton guy. In fairness, I did want them to bring him in when he was a free agent last offseason and I was originally all in on the move. Unfortunately, I have a pair of eyes that work and quickly saw that he was no longer the Newton of 2015.
So, why did they do it? The only two logical explanations are that they still needed a name to lure free agents, and they simply don’t trust anything they don’t know. Belichick is familiar with Newton, but more importantly he’s familiar with his work ethic. The free agency class of QB’s is sub par to say the least. All we heard from both the coach and Newton’s teammates was how good he was in the locker room and how much he prepared. He may not be able to actually throw a forward pass – which could be problematic in the 2021 NFL – but he said all the right things, his teammates love him and he’s cheap. It’s the Patriots trifecta.
Watching Cam Newton throw the ball as bad as – if not worse – than Tim Tebow is not going to be fun. However, I’m willing to wait and see if Newton can still actually draw free agents before fully losing my mind on this move. If Hunter Henry or Juju comes on board because of Cam, well then maybe he’s worth the misery. If not, then be prepared to watch another miserable season of 1950’s offensive football.
The biggest problem I have with all of this is that it probably means Jimmy G is no longer an option. He was the best plan moving forward if you wanted to win sooner rather than later based on his experience in the organization. For those of you that may think Cam will be the backup to a new quarterback they take in the draft, keep dreaming. Belichick will consider starting a rookie on defense somewhere or even on the offensive line at running back or wide receiver, but there is no chance in hell he will put a rookie under center in the season opener with Newton on the roster.
Cam Newton is going to be the Week 1 starter. Cam Newton will probably be the starter when Tom Brady and the Bucs visit and put up 60 points in what will almost certainly be a prime time game. Cam Newton is going to be the Patriots quarterback for the 2021 season.
The more you keep saying it to yourself now and the quicker you accept this cruel fate as a Patriots fan, the easier it will be to accept watching another sub-.500 season.