Cam Newton has received a ton of hype after signing with the New England Patriots, but it remains to be seen if he performs well with his new team. While it remains to be seen if he'll start in Week 1, Newton is fixated on showing that he can still play at a high level.

According to Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal, Newton is motivated to display that he's capable starting in the NFL long-term:

“As one Patriots source told me recently, ‘This deal isn’t about this season for Cam, it’s about the next four or five.’ ”

Throughout the past two seasons, Newton has dealt with multiple injuries with the Carolina Panthers. Altogether, the former No. 1 pick has missed 16 games since 2018 due to shoulder and foot ailments.

As a result, the Panthers decided to release Newton, choosing to replace him with Teddy Bridgewater this offseason. For the most part, Newton didn't receive much interest in free agency. Besides the Patriots, the Cleveland Browns were the only team to express any interest in signing Newton in 2020, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Patriots are entering unchartered waters following the departure of Tom Brady in free agency. However, if Newton can prove that he's healthy, New England could remain atop the AFC East.

Seeing that Newton took a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Patriots, he's prepared to prove his doubters wrong in 2020. Furthermore, the dual-threat quarterback wants to prove that he can still be a formidable quarterback in the NFL for years to come.