The New England Patriots are entering a brand new era of football this offseason following the news that Tom Brady will not return to the team. Instead, he has chosen to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, Bill Belichick and company are faced with the tall task of replacing the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
Rumors have mentioned Andy Dalton as a potential trade target for the Patriots, while free agents like Jameis Winston have been brought up as options as well. While there is nothing wrong with those possible quarterback additions, there is one that would make perfect sense for New England.
Cam Newton is coming back from injury this offseason and appears to be doing very well from a health perspective. At one point, the Carolina Panthers had thrown support behind bringing him back for one more season to see how he'd play under new head coach Matt Rhule. They have since backed off of that support, signing Teddy Bridgwater while placing Newton on the trade block.
Last season with the Panthers, Newton was only able to play in two games before going down with a season-ending injury. Back in 2018, however, he played in 14 games, completing 67.9 percent of his pass attempts for 3,395 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also picked up 488 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
All of that being said, let's take a look at three reasons why the Patriots should seriously consider trading for Cam Newton.
3. There Aren't Any Better Options For The Patriots
Honestly, at this point in the offseason, the Patriots don't have any better options in free agency. Jameis Winston could be something special, but his turnover numbers are anything but special. Andy Dalton shouldn't be the answer for obvious reasons.
Newton is the best talent available and would be the best player to keep the Patriots in Super Bowl contention.
Should the Patriots be concerned about Newton's health issues? Absolutely. But should they allow those concerns to scare them away from the former MVP quarterback? Absolutely not.
2. Cam Newton's Dual-Threat Ability Would Open Things Up
New England hasn't had an athletic starting quarterback for quite some time outside of the very limited action that Jacoby Brissett saw during his time with the Patriots. Even with Brissett, the Patriots had nothing close to what Newton brings to the field. He is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.
Standing in at 6-foot-5 and nearly 250 pounds, Newton is tough to bring down for any defender. Even when pass rushers are trying to bring him down for a sack, Newton finds ways to get away.
The Patriots could use a quarterback who can throw the ball and make plays with his legs. Newton is the best option for that. Josh McDaniels is an excellent offensive coordinator and his offense could have some new twists with a talent and physical beast like Newton running the show.
1. New England Does Not Want To Drop Out Of Super Bowl Contention
Finally, and most importantly, the Patriots are a proud franchise who have been Super Bowl contenders nearly every year since Tom Brady took over at quarterback. Belichick and company are not going to be ready to let go of those dreams just yet. They still have a good football team, but they will need a quarterback capable of leading a Super Bowl run.
Newton may not be the superstar that he once was, but he will still be the kind of guy who can get the job done for the Patriots.
We are certainly not predicting that Newton would lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl win. However, he would keep them competitive. New England will not want to go through a rebuild and will be focused on making sure they stay more successful than Brady in Tampa Bay.
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