According to a league source, the Patriots Cam Newton, the quarterback Cam, will re-sign for a one-year deal.
Newton spent the 2020 season in New England as a replacement for Tom Brady, passing for 2,657 yards and eight touchdowns. He also missed part of the season after testing positive for COVID-19.
The former NFL MVP had strong games early in the 2020 season, including an excellent performance in a September loss to Seattle, but was inconsistent. A fight with COVID and injuries to key teammates like Julian Edelman, David Andrews and Rex Burkhead did not help. He finished with his career lows (as an appetizer) in finishes, passes and knockouts when the team finished 7-9.
Newton did set a new franchise record for most quarterback yards in a quarter, with 592. The Patriots won 7-9 and missed the playoffs.
In February, Newton said on the podcast “I Am Athlete” that he was interested in signing with the Patriots again.
“Yes, hell yes,” Newton said. ‘I’m getting tired of changing, brother. I come to a point in my career where I know a lot more than I knew last year. ”
Newton also believed he would be a second time better at receiving the Patriots.
‘Doughboy [N’Keal Harry] know me. Jakobi [Meyers] know me. Knob [Damiere Byrd] know me. The young tight ends know me. “The younger guys who come in know me,” he said. ‘As we try to flush out the twenty years of how it used to be. And I go in and I say, ‘It’s not me.’ “
In 2020, the Patriots signed Newton as a free agent just before training camp in July. This time, they prevented Newton from reaching free agencies, starting Wednesday when the new NFL “league year” begins.
This story will be updated.
Jim McBride can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride.