Would the Patriots be better off with Cam Newton or Tom Brady in 2020?
Would Tom Brady or Cam Newton make the Patriots a better team in 2020?
For the first time since 2000, the New England Patriots will have a new quarterback leading the charge of the offense while trying to avoid a rebuilding period for the franchise both this season and beyond. The signing of Cam Newton fills the void left by Tom Brady as he departed in free agency for Tampa Bay.
While Newton will be viewed as an early favorite to land the starting job in the 2020 NFL season, he could find himself starting right out of the gate for his new team as they try and repeat as AFC East Champions and return to the playoffs once again in 2020.
With Newton now in New England and Brady elsewhere, that brings up the question of hypothetically who would the Patriots be better off with under center for the upcoming season: Cam Newton or Tom Brady?
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Right off the bat, this question seems crazy to debate. After all, we are talking about arguably the best quarterback in NFL history in Brady while comparing him to a player who — although he has had great success — doesn’t quite match up to the caliber of No. 12. But for this specific season here in 2020, that debate might not be as crazy as it seems.
Is Cam Newton over Tom Brady actually a positive for the Patriots?
When it comes to Brady, the veteran quarterback is set to turn 43 years old in August and likely only has a few seasons left in him before he retires from the league following his Hall of Fame career.
In 2019, although the Patriots had a lack of talent on offense surrounding him, Brady showed some continued decline while posting his lowest passing yard total (4,057), touchdown total (24) and completion percentage (60.8 percent) in the last three seasons.
When you look at Brady and the hypothetical idea of him still being in New England, he would no doubt help the Patriots try to return to the playoffs and make another deep run this season. But with only a few solid seasons under his belt remaining, looking ahead to the future of the position might end up being a blessing in disguise for New England.
Then you look at Newton, who just turned 31 years old recently and wrapped up his ninth season in the NFL with the Panthers in 2019.
When Newton was healthy earlier on in his career, he was arguably a top-five quarterback in the league and presented endless problems to opposing defenses on the other side of the field. With his ability to both air out the ball and use his mobility to stretch out plays, Newton changes the look of this Patriots squad that could be really intriguing.
For New England, this was a risk-free move to bring in Newton to see if he can return to form while also only having him on their salary cap for one season. If he remains healthy, Newton could become a gem of a signing for the Patriots and could ultimately lead the franchise for the next handful of seasons.
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It’s hard to imagine parting ways from a legendary quarterback like Brady being seen as a good thing or a positive, but it allowed New England to be forced to address a question at the quarterback position right now that it would have had to address sooner or later. And at least at the current point of the careers of both Brady and Newton, the Patriots might be better off with the quarterback they currently have rather than the one that led the franchise for the past two decades.