Cam Newton has no long-term future with the Patriots.
We know this because owner Robert Kraft told us as much back in March. “We all know long term we have to find a way, either Jarrett Stidham or someone new we bring in,” Kraft said of the quarterback position about a month before the team drafted Alabama star Mac Jones with the 15th pick in the first round.
Newton is back in New England for a second season on a one-year, low-money contract. For the former NFL MVP, long term is September.
At best, he’s a placeholder and a bridge to the real future of the position in Foxborough – Jones.
At worst, Newton’s already a part of the Patriots past history of starting quarterbacks.
Like the milk in my refrigerator, Newton has an expiration date in New England. His days are numbered.
When Newton missed reps in the final hour-plus of OTAs on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium last Friday due to a right hand injury with the gathered media in attendance, it opened the door for Jones and Stidham to step up.
And based on reports that Newton could miss more reps in OTA and mini-camp action leading up to training camp, the young quarterbacks could continue to get even more extra action.
Whether it appears so on the surface or not, that is indeed a very good thing for the Patriots. At least it seems that way for those of us who doubt what Newton has left, doubt his ability to turn things around after a dismal, COVID-altered 2020 campaign.
Every practice rep Newton takes is one that Jones and Stidham do not.
A rep to a man who clearly and factually has no future in New England.
Those are, in brutally blunt terms, wasted reps.
Conversely, every rep that Jones takes is a step in the right direction. It’s a step toward the future. A step toward the future becoming the present.
Even reps for Stidham still have value. Finding out what the former fourth-round pick still has to offer. What he might be able to develop into in order to be a long-term backup to Jones or even a trade chip in the QB-needy NFL.
Newton is a massive presence on the practice field, as he is everywhere he goes. People gravitate toward him. His energy is the energy in nearly every room he’s in, every conversation he has. And in every practice he takes part in.
But when Newton was limited last week in OTAs, Jones and Stidham were left to simply go about their business, the business of continuing to try to learn the Patriots offense and prepare for their opportunities on the game field whenever they may come. They were left as the focus of the coaching of Josh McDaniels.
The harsh reality of sports is that injury to one player creates opportunities for others. Need proof? Look no further than the quarterback position with the Patriots. Ever hear of Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady?
Injuries open one door while sometimes simultaneously closing another.
That may have happened last week at OTAs. It could continue to unfold in the coming practices and mini-camp next week.
It may just be the opening that the supposedly “NFL-ready” Jones needs to fast track his preparations toward playing time.
Whether anyone realizes it or not. Whether Bill Belichick wants to admit it or not. That’s indeed a very good thing for the Patriots and the future in Foxborough.