The New England Patriots are set to sign veteran quarterback Cam Newton on a one-year deal to compete with second-year QB Jarrett Stidham for the starting quarterback spot. Bill Belichick finds himself in a unique situation after having a beacon of consistency at quarterback in Tom Brady for two decades. Now he gets to see a true quarterback competition.
The 31-year-old Newton spent the past nine seasons as the starting QB for the Carolina Panthers. During that time he was a highly productive dual-threat quarterback, racking up over 30,000 all-purpose yards and scoring 240 total touchdowns. He was selected for the AP NFL MVP award in 2015, which happened to be the same year he faced and faltered against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Newton was released by Carolina this past offseason after a foot injury sidelined him for the 2019 season. It left Newton with a big chip on his shoulder.
The Kansas City Chiefs are set to play the Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 4 of the regular season. The arrival of Newton begs the question: Who will be the starter for New England in Week 4?
While the hope remains that Stidham will be the next Brady for the Patriots, signing Newton made too much sense for the team. Belichick admires Newton because he makes good decisions and can beat you a number of different ways. At best he’s an MVP quarterback who has proven the ability to take his team to a Super Bowl. At worst, he’s a veteran backup to a young starter learning the ropes. The competition alone will make both players better.
Shortly after the announcement for Newton was made the NFL came down on New England for their involvement in a cheating scandal, recording the Cincinnati Bengals sideline with their video crew. They lost out on a 2021 third-round draft pick, but if Newton starts and signs with another team following the 2020 season, the Patriots could recoup that third-rounder in 2022. That’s all the more incentive to hand over the reins of the offense to Newton for the 2020 season.
So, Chiefs Kingdom, who do you think will be the starting quarterback for New England in Week 4? Newton or Stidham? It’d certainly be an exciting matchup to see Mahomes and Newton, both former league MVPs, go head-to-head. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter and the Chiefs Wire forums.
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