The New England Patriots have a starting quarterback and it’s Cam Newton.
At a team meeting on Thursday, New England head coach Bill Belichick named Newton the team’s QB1, according to the Boston Globe. The team made an announcement that all but cemented the Newton news, as he was named a team captain as well:
๐ฎ ๐ฌ ๐ฎ ๐ฌ ๐ฃ ๐ ๐ง ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ข ๐ง ๐ฆ ๐ ๐ ๐ฃ ๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐ก ๐ฆ pic.twitter.com/Hyvc7QzPEW
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 3, 2020
The team nor Belichick has yet to confirm the QB news, but various other outlets in Boston have confirmed it.
Newton, 31, joined the Patriots the offseason via a one-year deal with numerous incentives in the contract. While Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane were working their previous positions in Carolina, Newton was the team’s starting quarterback. That time also includes Newton’s 2015 MVP season.
Newton’s time in Carolina ended after 2019 as he struggled with injury in recent years. The organization also moved on from longtime head coach Ron Rivera.
Earlier this offseason it was expected that the Patriots would replace now-Bucs quarterback Tom Brady with his most-recent backup, Jarrett Stidham. Newton signed shortly before training camp, however, reports surfaced that once Newton was released by Carolina in March, the Pats quickly contacted him and kept dialogue open.
While Newton will be under center for Week 1, we’ll see what happens by the time Buffalo readies for their eighth game of the season. The Bills start 2020 against the Jets and Dolphins, respectively, and even play the Jets for a second time in Week 7, before ever seeing the Pats.
Buffalo and New England will first faceoff in Week 8.
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