With the departure of longtime quarterback Tom Brady in the offseason, Patriots fans have thrown the idea of the club to consider signing free agent Cam Newton. On paper, the proposed move would have made sense since Newton’s veteran leadership and ability to run the football could provide New England another weapon for their offense.

However, the “Cam-as-a-Patriot” proposal may never come to fruition, as reported by The Athletic’s Joe Person (h/t Dakota Randall of NESN).

“Some observers have made a big deal of the nice things Bill Belichick said about Newton after he beat the Patriots in two regular-season meetings. That storyline seemed to be a little overblown.”

Belichick was referring to Newton’s 2017 season when he led the Carolina Panthers to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth as a Wild Card. That proved to be his last effective season before injuries shortened his campaigns in 2018 and 2019.

But perhaps the most glaring reason behind the Patriots’ reluctance to sign the former top overall pick can be attributed to one prominent individual in the organization.

“New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wasn’t necessarily high on Newton when he was talking to the Panthers about their head coaching vacancy, according to a source,” revealed Person.

Furthermore, the Patriots appear to already have a clean-cut plan at quarterback. Second-year man Jarrett Stidham is the odds-on favorite to be the starter in 2020.  

For now, Newton remains a free agent and will have to look for work someplace else. Just recently, the 2015 Most Valuable Player has stated his willingness to transition as a backup player.