The New England Patriots and Mac Jones had a rough Week 1. Was it rough enough for the Patriots to consider giving Cam Newton a call to step in for the rookie? Pump the brakes on that, although the topic was recently discussed by Mass Live’s Chris Mason.
During a recent edition of Mason’s Patriots mail bag a fan asked if the Patriots would ever consider coming back to Newton. While Jones’ performance wasn’t close to bad enough for the Patriots to make such a drastic move, Mason did offer a plausible scenario for a potential Newton return.
What Would it Take to Bring Cam Newton Back to New England?
According to Mason, the clearest path for a Newton return would be on the heels of a significant injury to Jones. Yes, the Patriots have veteran backup Brian Hoyer, but it is clear there is no belief that he would give New England a better chance to win than Newton. Here is a good piece of Mason’s answer:
I think it depends on the severity of the injury. If jones pulled a hammy and was out for a week or two, Bill Belichick would probably just roll with Brian Hoyer Band-Aid. But if it was longer term injury, I think Newton might get a call – especially if Jarrett Stidham is still sidelined. There’d be some conversation that needs to happen behind the scenes though. He didn’t really burn any bridges on his way out of town, but Newton did say he felt “bamboozled” by the team in regards to his COVID-19 protocol misunderstanding. Asked about that comment on WEEI, Belichick didn’t seem particularly irked by it, but it’d obviously need to be addressed.
Others Have Discussed a Potential Newton Return CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora appeared as a guest on the Zack Gelb Show earlier this month and he too laid out a scenario where a return to New England could be in the cards for Newton.
LaCanfora said:
He wasn’t the starting quarterback, and he wasn’t available for a critical period of time and they made the decision that they think is best for their football team. I also don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Cam Newton is back there in some capacity at some point and time. Based on what Belichick’s seeing out of the team, based on what he’s seeing out of the quarterback. Obviously based on any potential injury situations. I think Bill Belichick still thinks very highly of Cam Newton and there’s a lot of things about Cam Newton that he likes, but they’re going to run their offense in a different way, with a quarterback with some different skill sets at this stage.
That sounds well and good, but would this represent the best opportunity for Newton?
Would Cam Newton Want to Return to New England?
It’s easy to assume Newton will take the first opportunity he receives to play in the NFL again, but that may not be accurate. Coming back to New England would mean being a placeholder for Jones for an even shorter period than originally planned before the Patriots released Newton initially.
Because he’s missed time and the like, Newton might have to ask himself if playing for the Patriots would represent the best environment for him to succeed. After all, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels never showed a desire to craft the team’s attack around Newton’s skill set–besides a power game inside the 5-yard line.
Let’s hope we don’t get an opportunity to have the theory tested because it can only happen if Jones suffers some sort of serious injury, which is just bad all around.
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Conditions for Cam Newton’s Patriots Return Discussed