The Denver Broncos are in a tough spot at quarterback, with an injured Drew Lock. The Chicago Bears aren’t exactly sitting pretty either, with Mitchell Trubisky struggling more than his statistics lead on. The San Francisco 49ers have reason for concern, with Jimmy Garoppolo nursing an injury. And considering the way the league’s top stars are dropping like flies to ACL injuries, it’s possible there will be more quarterback issues to come.
So why in the world was Cam Newton, who just threw for 397 yards in Week 2 and is on pace to score 32 rushing touchdowns, available for the Patriots to sign at the veteran minimum (with incentives) in July?
Why was Belichick the only general manager interested in letting Newton compete for a starting quarterback job?
The Carolina Panthers should feel OK with their decision to sign Teddy Bridgewater, but he came with a significant price tag, $63 million over three years. But even they will watch what Newton has done (and likely will do with the Patriots) with a twinge of regret.
Newton is just 1-1 in New England, but he’s shown he can win a game with his legs, like he did against the Miami Dolphins, and he can be extremely competitive in a shootout, like he was against Russell Wilson and an absurdly high-octane Seattle Seahawks team.
Newton’s landing spot is, admittedly, perfect. There is probably no team that could get more out of him than the Patriots, who seem to have created the perfect cultural and schematic fit for the quarterback’s success. Newton is perfect for Bill Belichick in so many ways.
“I have to have the endurance like a wide receiver,” Newton said Tuesday on WEEI. “I have to have the physical toughness as a running back and just the intuitiveness and being cerebral like a quarterback.”
That’s the kind of guy Belichick gushes over. That’s the kind of guy Belichick is interested in taking to a Super Bowl this year.
The AFC should be awfully competitive with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens looking like they’ll be favorites to be in the conference championship game. But the fact that Newton has put the Patriots in the conversation in Week 2 is unexpected. The fact that Newton could be in the conversation for the MVP if he keeps up his success as a runner is unexpected. But it didn’t cost much to give Newton a spin — just the veteran minimum and some time teaching him the playbook. That was all Newton needed. Now, he’s out to earn respect. He’s out to disrespect those that showed him the same. He’s out to embarrass every NFL evaluator not named Belichick.
His entire season could be a bad look for general managers all over the league.
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