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The Cam Newton era in Foxborough is now officially over after the New England Patriots sent shockwaves across the entire NFL by releasing the veteran quarterback. This comes as a huge surprise. The earlier understanding is that Bill Belichick was still deciding which quarterback he was going to start in Week 1 of the regular season and that regardless of the winner of that battle between Jones and Newton, the other will be the main backup.
Obviously, that's no longer the case. Just before the Patriots made Newton jobless, Belichick had the following to say, per Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network.
Bill Belichick said he would do what's best for the team. In this case, it's starting rookie Mac Jones (as @globejimmcbride first reported). The future is now in New England.
Newton and the Patriots recently had some sort of a misunderstanding with regards to COVID-19 protocols, though it's still unclear whether that played a role in New England's decision to part ways with him.
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Cam Newton came over to New England after getting released by the Carolina Panthers in 2020. He signed a one-year deal with the Pats just months later and another one-year contract with the team back in March 2021. But with an impressive training camp and preseason, Mac Jones has shown the Pats enough to gain their trust. With Newton gone, Brian Hoyer should get elevated to the QB2 role.
In 15 games (all starts) for the Patriots in 2020, Newton came up with 2,675 passing yards and eight touchdowns against eight interceptions. In those games, it became clear that he was no longer the offensive machine he used to be with the Panthers.
This could be the end of Newton in the NFL, but it won't also be surprising to see him hook up with another team.
