Cam Newton is officially the New England Patriots' starting quarterback, succeeding Tom Brady after a hectic offseason, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Newton, 31, was released earlier in the offseason by his longtime Carolina Panthers. The former first-overall pick spent nine years and won an NFL MVP award along with leading the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance.

The Patriots signed Newton to a one-year deal this summer and he will officially replace Brady under center after the future Hall of Fame gunslinger agreed to a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Newton faced off with other Patriots signal-callers in second-year passer Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer in New England's training camp. It was a crazy summer for the Pats given the NFL-high number of opt-outs due to COVID-19 concerns, possibly decimating the defense. However, Bill Belichick has a shiny new toy in Newton to lead the offense.

The Patriots' offense outside of the former Heisman Trophy winner includes a backfield led by running backs Sony Michel and Lamar Miller. The wideouts stand out with Super Bowl MVP receiver Julian Edelman, sophomore N'Keal Harry, and Jakobi Meyers.

Newton missed significant time in his final years with the Panthers, including only appearing in the first two weeks of the 2019 season in Carolina, with undrafted free agent quarterback Kyle Allen having to take over throwing duties. The Patriots are hoping Newton is all healed up and ready to go as the dual-threat QB was once the most dangerous playmaker in the NFL.