Quarterback Cam Newton stated his intentions for 2021. On his Instagram account, the former Auburn All-American wrote: “Make no mistake. I’m coming for everything 2020 has taken from me. No excuses, no hiccups and definitely no blame. I need to be better. The revolution has begun. “
Launched by the Carolina Panthers after nine seasons, Newton played for the New England Patriots in 2020. Towards the free agency again, Newton has goals for this offseason.
“I have a lot of ammunition in the barrel to improve this off-season,” said Newton in his last weekly appearance on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI-FM before leaving Boston, “and that’s what I’m going to focus on doing.”
Newton wants to lose 20 pounds “in a healthy organic way” and get a contract signed without delay after the free agency opened on March 17.
The injuries affected Newton’s previous two seasons. A shoulder problem caused his game to deteriorate in the second half of the 2018 season and a foot injury limited Newton to two games in 2019.
The Panthers launched Newton on March 24 – almost a week after the free agency started – with a year to go before their contract. He didn’t sign with the Patriots until July 8.
“This is definitely going to be taken into account,” said Newton. “I will not wait until the end of another one (off season), when I have the opportunity to do something or sign with someone. And I think I put myself at a disadvantage with that. “
But will there be more demand among the NFL teams for Newton than in the off-season?
ALABAMA ROOTS: WHO IS ARRIVING TO THE FREE NFL AGENCY?
In 15 games for the Patriots, Newton completed 242 of 368 passes for 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions and ran for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns on 137 carries.
New England ranked 27th among the 32 NFL teams in points and yards in 2020. The Patriots had a record of 7-8 in games started by Newton, and New England missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and had a record of defeats for the first time since 2000.
Meanwhile, the player Newton replaced, Tom Brady went to his 10th Super Bowl and won his seventh NFL championship in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over Kansas City Chiefs on February 7.
“I wasn’t just following him,” said Newton. “I was following a system that he had the luxury of being in for 20 years. Just imagine that. It’s like a student, you have six months to take a final exam, honestly, it took you 20 years to prepare, but you only have, in essence, five weeks to prepare for it. “
Newton won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in 2015, but the results of the 2020 season do not appear to have reinstated him as a first-rate quarterback. But Newton is not preparing for the reserve service in 2021.
“For me, when I look at the whole situation, are you asking me if I want to be a backup? Of course not, ”said Newton,“ because when I look at the other teams and see how the players play, the guys get away with what I consider a murder for years because of a below average game. Do I have the right to say that with the year I had this year? No. But I will be honest and say why that is what I do. …
“I know that out of 32 guys, I’m not 32nd in that position, so you also have to understand that I’m a competitor first. I think the highest of me first, as anyone would and should. I know what my skill set is. I know what my talent is. I understand that if I get the chance, there is no one better than me. This is how I will always feel. “
The off-season of 2021 seems to have the potential to show more defender movement than normal. The Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams have already replaced Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. Philip Rivers retired after 17 seasons in the NFL, and Drew Brees is expected to join him.
Reports indicate that Deshaun Watson wants the Houston Texans to trade him, Russell Wilson is dissatisfied with the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles are buying Carson Wentz. The free agent QBs that will join Newton will include Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor, Mitchell Trubisky and Jameis Winston. And simulated drafts are showing Ohio State quarterbacks Justin Fields, Alabama’s Mac Jones, Trey Lance of North Dakota, Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and BYU’s Zach Wilson entering the first half of the first round.
The number of moving parts in the quarterback market has not prevented the NFL media from evaluating potential landing sites for Newton.
Among the teams that will be in the market for a defender will be the one Newton is leaving. Would the Patriots consider bringing Newton back for a second season?
Newton said it would be “remarkable” if New England brought him back. At his last press conference after the season ended, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he had no “deadline” for the quarterback’s decision.
“Let’s just look at everything in the off-season,” said Belichick. “We will do a thorough assessment of all the things we do and have done and look to the future, and I am sure, as we do every year, we will want to change some things. Once again, we learned a lot this year. “
Newton played for just another NFL coach – Ron Rivera, now leading the Washington Football Team. Washington made it to the playoffs, although it started with four defenders. Only one had a winning record. Alex Smith won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, while Washington won 5-1 in his matches. Smith overcame a spiral composite fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg in 2018 to play again, but he will turn 37 in May and had injury problems in the stretch in 2020.
Rivera has already been asked about a meeting with Newton in 2021.
“We are exploring all of our options,” said Rivera. “Nothing is out of the question. … As we move forward, we will do what we believe is best for us. “
Newton plans to make his own comeback in 2021, using off season as a base.
“I’m always the one who finds some kind of positive in the process,” said Newton. “My positive point is that I felt that it was everything for me, that I ended the season in good health. I know all the reports this year were, ‘Is he healthy? Is he this one? Is that it? ‘And my body feels like I wanted to feel, as I expected it to feel from the shoulder, my foot and even a restriction of the oblique. This is a success in my book. “
Newton said that years have passed since he entered a healthy off-season, which allowed him to do a wide range of jobs.
“I obviously have to work on my mechanics,” said Newton. “I obviously have to throw the football earlier, and not at the end of last year. I will focus on these things as we prepare for the off season. “
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @ AMarkG1.
MORE NFL:
· Bengals like Jonah Williams, where he is on the offensive line
· 45 yards still in Kenyan Drake’s mind
· Gehrig Dieter staying with Kansas City Chiefs
Alabama Roots: Who was the best NFL player of 2020?
· Cam Sims aims to work ‘twice as hard’ after the season of discovery
Alabama Roots: NFL Ironmen Respond to Snap Count, Play after Play
· What is Kerryon Johnson’s future with Detroit Lions?
· Philip Rivers: ‘I didn’t have a bad choice’
· Meet the 2020 NFL All-State for Alabama
· Lester Cotton wins another NFL opportunity
Alabama Roots: Who is heading for the free NFL agency?
· Which SEC program has the most players in the Professional Football Hall of Fame?
Steve McLendon predicts ‘bigger things’ for Quinnen Williams
Seattle Seahawks launches Chance Warmack
· Kareem Jackson remembers how he spent his first million
· Did the Philadelphia Eagles make their choice as a quarterback?
· Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean join Auburn Super Bowl winners