Cam Newton's first and possible lone season with the New England Patriots in 2020 didn't go according to plan. Despite the struggles that Newton and New England's offense had this past season, Bill Belichick could be open to bringing back Newton in 2021, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
Throughout the 2020 season, Belichick was complimentary of Newton, even when the team's offense gradually got worse as the season progressed. While both sides weren't content with the outcome, Belichick still believes Newton has something left in the tank.
Belichick is concerned with Newton's arm strength, which has noticeably worsened in recent seasons due to a variety of shoulder injuries. In his first year with the Patriots, Newton threw for only 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Though, in Newton's defense, the Patriots didn't surround him with many reliable weapons in the offense. At the same time, Newton was performing well in the offense until he got COVID-19, which caused him to miss a game. Seeing that the Patriots have an ample amount of cap space, they can get whoever is under center a better array of weapons.
Of course, New England will likely remain vigilant on quarterbacks around the NFL who teams could look to trade. But if they aren't able to find an answer on the trade market, Belichick reportedly isn't opposed to giving Newton another chance.
With that being said, the Patriots are expected to be doing their research on quarterbacks in this year's draft as well. Even though the pairing of Newton and New England went off of the tracks in 2020, Belichick seems to be of the belief that Newton can be an answer for them — albeit a short-term one.
Follow Us
Subscribe