The Internet, media, and football community nearly broke the other day. The colossal news dropped that the New England Patriots announced that they have finally cut veteran quarterback Cam Newton from their roster. Because of this surprising turn of events, rookie Mac Jones will start on Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins and presumably serve as the Patriots’ starting quarterback for the duration of this regular season.
This news indeed came as a surprise. The Patriots had given Newton a lot of playing time during training camp, and they started him for all three of their preseason matchups. It even seemed like he had begun improving and playing decently.
This provided a ray of hope for the Patriots, especially after Newton’s horrible first season in 2020. That year, the Patriots finished the season 7-9 for the first time since they drafted Tom Brady, losing to the Tennessee Titans 13-20 in the Wild Card Playoff game.
The Patriots seemed willing to invest in Newton, working with him tediously through training camp and preseason. Coach Bill Belichick repeatedly stated that Newton would be his starting quarterback, but it seems like he has been forced to change his mind since then.
Patriots Cut Cam Newton
Newton’s release may be a mixture of his refusal to get vaccinated and the outstanding performance of Mac Jones. Jones finished the preseason 36 of 52 pass attempts, throwing for 389 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He played 107 snaps, and according to ESPN, that is easily the highest total among Patriots quarterbacks.
The news that the Patriots finally dropped Cam Newton to give rookie Mac Jones the starting quarterback position is exciting and long overdue news. Anyone who knows me knows that I am definitely not the worlds’ biggest Cam Newton fan, and I have been waiting for this day for a very long time.
Mac Jones is QB1 in New England.
The Patriots released Cam Newton, meaning rookie Mac Jones will be their starting QB, as first reported by The Boston Globe and confirmed by @adamschefter. pic.twitter.com/17648wkJ7S
— ESPN (@espn) August 31, 2021
I have been saying for a long time that Mac Jones deserves the starting position, even though Belichick was pretty clear at the beginning of the preseason that he planned to start Newton.
To put it bluntly, Cam Newton has not been a decent player since losing the Super Bowl 50 in 2016 with the Carolina Panthers against the Denver Broncos. That season with the Panthers was a breakout one for him; under Newton’s leadership, they were undefeated until they lost in the Super Bowl.
Ever since his fall in that game, Cam Newton has been a highly inconsistent, unreliable player. After establishing himself as a standout quarterback in his first season, Newton has not put up performances nearly as impressive since then.
Wrapping Up
All in all, I think it was 100% the right move for the Patriots to cut Cam Newton to give Mac Jones a chance to play the way they know he can play. They finally realized that they could not put their trust in Newton and that he is not a player who fits in well with their team and can help them come back from a horrible 2020 season.
Mac Jones is their guy, and I am so happy the Patriots finally have the sense to see that. MAC JONES FOR THE WIN!
