New England Patriots second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham is all smiles while talking about the forthcoming starting-quarterback competition with new Pats signal-caller Cam Newton.

Stidham, who turns 24 years old today, called the QB battle a “great opportunity” yesterday.

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“Honesty, I was excited,” Stidham said in a press conference on Friday, via Heavy.com. “What a great opportunity to compete with another great player.” In his easy-going manner, Stidham continued. “I’m extremely excited to compete with Cam [Newton] and Hoy [Brian Hoyer]. I look forward to competing in just about everything, and I’m looking forward to it.”

The Patriots signed former NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton in July after the ex-Carolina Panthers star was released by his longtime organization. Newton was injured at the end of the 2018 season and later missed the majority of the 2019 campaign to another injury after starting the first two games.

Meanwhile, Stidham enters his sophomore campaign in the NFL after the Patriots selected the Auburn product in the fourth round of the 2019 draft; the quarterback only appeared in three games during his debut professional season, completing two of four pass attempts.

There is a huge discrepancy in reputation and experience between Newton and Stidham. While everybody expects Newton to win the starting quarterback job for head coach Bill Belichick, Stidham—for now—is embracing the competition and opportunity to “compete” with a former MVP (along with veteran QB Brian Hoyer).

The Patriots' roster looks radically different from a year ago due to turnover in free agency along with numerous players opting out of the 2019 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns.