This is going to be a tough week for the fine folks over at 1 Patriot Place. Not only do they find themselves well into their offseason after missing the postseason for the first time since 2008, but their former franchise icon, Tom Brady, is gearing up to play in Super Bowl LV to cap off his first season away from New England and with his new Buccaneers squad. The biggest question currently hovering over Gillette Stadium is one that was initially sparked when Brady officially put pen to paper to take his talent to Tampa Bay: Who is going to be the franchise quarterback for the Patriots?
After at 7-9 season that boasted a lackluster passing attack with Cam Newton under center, it’s been reported that both sides plan to move forward without one another this offseason. That said, a Newton return seems to be something that one of the more influential figures on New England’s roster would still be interested in. During the latest Double Coverage podcast, Devin and Jason McCourty noted the flux of quarterback movement that is primed to occur this offseason. While they highlighted a number of quarterbacks, Devin was also quick to point to a potential Newton reunion.
“I wouldn’t mind a lot of these guys quarterbacking my team. I’ll start off by saying I wouldn’t mind seeing my guy Cam Newton come back,” McCourty said, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “I thought he had a tough [situation] coming in – no offseason, no anything. [He] played in a Super Bowl and won a MVP.”
While Newton was able to make plays with his legs – 592 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns – the passing game under the 31-year-old’s lead didn’t leave much to be desired. New England averaged the third-fewest passing yards per game (180.6) this season and was tied for the fewest passing scores (12). As McCourty noted, Newton was at a bit of a disadvantage given the lack of time to prepare for his first season with the Patriots due to the COVID-19 pandemic and not to mention the lack of talent at the skill positions. Even with those caveats, however, the quarterback’s arm doesn’t look like it has much juice left in the tank.
While I’ve noted in the past that a Newton reunion can’t be ruled out, what was put on tape in 2020 could lead the Patriots to a new quarterback this offseason. Who that may be is anyone’s guess. McCourty called Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Teddy Bridgewater, and Jimmy Garoppolo – all quarterbacks that could be available this offseason – studs but New England’s desire to acquire one of these signal-callers may only be one-half of the equation.
As we saw with the Matthew Stafford situation, he specifically pointed to the Patriots as a place he did not want to go. If his peers are like-minded, that would drastically shrink the pool available to Bill Belichick and possibly even make a Newton return more likely, especially if he doesn’t have a robust market and/or an opportunity to start elsewhere.
Again, time will ultimately reveal how this next chapter in the post-Tom Brady era will go for the Patriots and it may be a bit too early to automatically assume Newton isn’t going to be a part of it.
