Cam Newton has not been a good quarterback with the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots went into their first season in the post-Tom Brady era with another former MVP quarterback in Cam Newton. The signing seemed like a genius move at the end, as the Patriots only signed Newton to a one-year deal, meaning it’d be easy to move on from him if things didn’t pan out.
At first, Newton looked like the same Newton we all loved to watch during his Carolina Panthers days, as he rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Dolphins in Week 1. As the season progressed, however, it became evident — Newton no longer had what it took to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
First and foremost, his stats speak for themselves. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for just 2,414 yards, five touchdowns, and 10 interceptions through 14 starts while rushing for 513 yards and 12 touchdowns. The rushing stats are good, but an NFL quarterback having just five passing touchdowns through 14 starts is not a good statistic to have.
The New England Patriots took a chance on Cam Newton and it didn’t work out.
There was probably a reason why Newton was still available for the Patriots to scoop up so late in the offseason. We’ve seen this season how the shoulder injury and surgery affected Newton as a passer and if a quarterback can’t accurately throw the football, he’s not going to be a coveted option moving forward.
This isn’t to say that Newton is necessarily done as a pro quarterback. He could certainly be appealing to teams as a backup or maybe someone who comes in and sneaks the ball on third or fourth and inches kind of plays. He also has a decade of NFL experience under his belt and could be a great mentor for a team that decides to draft a quarterback in the first round.
While Newton might not ever be an NFL starter again, it’s hard not to look at his career and admire what he accomplished. He might not be a Hall of Famer when it’s all said and done, but for a number of years, there wasn’t a more compelling quarterback in the NFL than that of Cam Newton.