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Cam Newton didn’t spend a ton of time with Mac Jones and the New England Patriots, but he believes that the quarterback is headed in the right direction.
Newton is still looking for a home in the NFL. After joining the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 season, the quarterback remains a free agent.
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Speaking on The Pivot podcast, Newton said that Jones is destined for great things in the NFL.
“Mac Jones is gonna be a great quarterback,” Newton said on The Pivot podcast. “I’d put Mac Jones at that (No.) 20-ish threshold. He a young gun, all right?”
Jones will be building off of a strong rookie campaign. The quarterback threw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns. He ended up heading to the Pro Bowl and the Patriots are expecting more great things from him in 2022.
New England has given Jones more weapons to throw to ahead of this season. The Patriots acquired DeVante Parker from the Miami Dolphins and Tyquan Thornton was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
How Is Newton Remembered in New England?
Newton had a disappointing career as a Patriot. In his lone season as the starting quarterback, he threw for 2,657 yards, 8 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
While he struggled on the ground, Newton did better gaining yards on the ground. The QB ran for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns.
New England went 7-8 and finished under .500 for the first time since 2000. It was clear that the Patriots needed to head in a new direction and that led to the organization selecting Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
While Newton struggled, he believes that part of the difficulty might have been because of the system that the Patriots run. In the middle of the season, Newton was still learning the offense he was supposed to be running.
“The New England experience was a f***** up situation. I was still learning the offense seven to eight weeks into the season,” Newton said. “I’m learning systems mentally. As a quarterback — it’s not just, ‘Can you catch?’ … You can disguise that. As a quarterback — you have to look the part, act the part and be the part.”
What Are Newton’s Plans for 2022?
While Newton has yet to sign with a team, he thinks that he still has the ability to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
The compliments that were tossed Jones’ way were in response to whether or not there are 32 NFL QBs better than Newton.
“There’s not 32 guys better than me,” Newton told The Pivot crew.
“Still? You still feel that exact same way?” asked former NFL safety Ryan Clark.
“On my soul,” Newton replied.
Newton isn’t exactly coming off an amazing season in 2021. After leaving New England, Newton returned to the Panthers and threw for 684 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in just eight games played.
At 33 years old, the former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL MVP is seemingly nearing the end of his career, but it’s clear that he believes he still has some gas left in the tank.
But Newton isn’t bitter about the fact that Jones took his job in New England from him. He seems to be quite confident that the current Patriots quarterback has a bright future ahead of him.
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