Getty Cam Newton
Bold statement alert.
If the San Francisco 49ers trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the New England Patriots, one former NFL All-Pro thinks Cam Newton will still be QB1 in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season.
Who dares to speak positivity in the same sentence with Newton?
Brandon Marshall: “Cam Newton Will Win the QB Battle”
On Friday, former NFL All-Pro receiver, First Things First and I Am Athlete personality Brandon Marshall weighed in on the “what-if” conversation that he admittedly can’t stand.
Marshall boldly stated, even if Garoppolo does land in New England, he believes “Newton will win the QB battle.” Take a listen:
The 49ers traded for up for the 3rd overall pick. Could their next move be shipping Jimmy G to the Patriots?
“If Jimmy G does get traded to New England Cam Newton will win the QB battle.” — @BMarshall
Is Marshall crazy and will we ever get to find out if he’s right or wrong, and where did all of this come from?
The 49ers Traded Up in the Draft and All Hell Broke Loose
The San Francisco 49ers have traded up to No. 3 in next month’s draft after a deal with the Miami Dolphins on Friday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Filed to ESPN: Dolphins trading No. 3 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 12 pick, a 2021 third-round pick (SF’s comp pick for Robert Saleh hiring) and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, per sources.
Blockbuster deal with massive ramifications for years to come.
This splashy move has many expecting the 49ers to make Jimmy Garoppolo available for a trade–even though San Francisco has publicly committed to Jimmy G as their starter in 2021, per another tweet from Schefter.
49ers’ source today: “Jimmy is here to stay. He’s our guy this year.”
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Still, any trade talk involving Garoppolo is automatically going to find a way to include the Patriots. Bill Belichick and Co. have been rumored to have an interest in bringing Garoppolo back to Foxborough for the past few months.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have already re-signed Cam Newton for a year. They would seemingly be moving toward another season with the 2015 NFL MVP as their starter. Like the 49ers, the Patriots are expected to be in the market for a young quarterback they can turn to as soon as the 2022 campaign.
Still, the Garoppliots of Boston sports media seem obsessed with the oft-injured quarterback’s potential reunion with the Patriots. Many of them won’t let go of the idea that he will ultimately return to be the guy who truly succeeds Tom Brady.
Take a look at how quickly this whole thing grew legs and ran down the street after Schefter’s tweet:
Schefter followed up with his tweet, but it didn’t stop the madness.
49ers now square in the QB mix, but are holding on to Jimmy Garoppolo and have no plans to trade him, per sources.
More…
We could continue, but you get the point.
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Why Can’t Newton Simply Be the Patriots’ Starting QB?
With everything the Patriots have done to bolster their roster, it’s still perplexing to see how many people can’t imagine Newton would be Belichick’s choice as the starter.
Newton didn’t have a great season in 2020. Anyone can see that, but several factors contributed to his and the team’s performance–not least of which were COVID-19 and a subpar group of receivers and tight ends. Somehow it seems other quarterbacks might be getting more of the benefit of the doubt if they were in a similar situation.
All that said, if Belichick goes through the motions of bringing Garoppolo back, I strongly doubt Newton would beat him out for the starting job, but that’s not necessarily because he’s a better player.
Bringing Garoppolo back almost guarantees the Patriots will run the same kind of offense they have for the past two decades, which we saw in 2020 wasn’t the best fit for Newton.
It is, however, better suited for Garoppolo’s strengths. Garoppolo has had issues staying healthy, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Newton ultimately in for him–if he decided to stick around long enough to wait on the opportunity.
The Patriots can win and win big with Newton. Many called Belichick crazy for re-signing Newton a few weeks ago, so clearly, he doesn’t allow the media’s opinions to shape his roster decisions. It would be surprising to see him stick to that M.O. here as well.