Cam Newton’s experience did not go well for the Patriots, who are coming out of their first losing season since 2000, a year before Tom Brady took over as New England’s full-back.
But what if it’s not over yet?
Newton is a free agent after playing with a one-year contract in 2020, and it is assumed that the Patriots will look for an upgrade in QB. But when asked this week on “NFL Live” for a “bold prediction” before the off-season, Keyshawn Johnson suggested that New England could bring Newton back to the 2021 campaign.
“I’m going to have to go back with Cam Newton to New England,” said Johnson. “I know that many people think that this experiment went wrong. But it doesn’t look right. It looks like they’d like to try to find other game creators to build around, possibly because going out and drafting, getting a young quarterback, that means you’re restarting your whole team to race over the next five, six , seven years. (Bill) Does Belichick really have that much time to sit and wait?
“And if they manage to hit Cam, there will be no pandemic, there will be a real off-season, a real training ground and not a truncated training ground, I think that’s my bold prediction.”
It is difficult to say whether this qualifies as “bold”, as the Newton market may not be as robust after a bleak 2020 year. In addition, the Patriots certainly liked what the 31-year-old provided in terms of leadership.
The Patriots should probably have a slightly higher target, however, especially if they intend to use the excess wage cap in order to return to containment in 2021.
New England has already been associated with several defenders, most of whom would be much more attractive than simply going back after a 7-9 result in the first season of the post-Brady Patriots.
Miniature photo via David Butler II / USA TODAY Sports Images