Cam Newton and his release has opened up a lot of trade rumours for multiple teams. But Ron Rivera is clear that he is set in the QB room.
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Hours ahead of today’s roster cut deadline, the Patriots released QB Cam Newton, with all signs pointing towards rookie Mac Jones taking the starting job.
Breaking: The Patriots have released QB Cam Newton, as first reported by The Boston Globe and confirmed by @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/a1sO5djFT0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 31, 2021
Cam Newton’s release was definitely a big surprise. Despite a bad season as a passer, Bill Belichick and the Patriots renamed Cam Newton as the team’s starter ahead of training camp for 2021. But after 3 weeks of preseason where Mac Jones clearly established that his style of play suits Josh McDaniels offense better, the 15th overall pick might have really made an impression on Bill Belichick.
Ron Rivera is not going to sign Cam Newton
When addressing the Newton rumors, the Washington Football Team head coach firmly called Ryan Fitzpatrick his QB1 headed into Week 1 of the regular season. He also expressed confidence in the team’s other quarterbacks, effectively putting any possibility of signing Newton to bed.
“It did pop up on our radar, but just so you know, Ryan Fitzpatrick is our starting quarterback. So that’s where we are. We have three guys we like that all came to camp, did a nice job for us and we’re going to go forward with those guys,” Rivera said.
Ron Rivera’s full answer on Cam Newton: “It did pop up on our radar, but just so you know, Ryan Fitzpatrick is our starting quarterback. So that’s where we are. We have three guys we like that all came to camp, did a nice job for us and we’re going to go forward with those guys.”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 31, 2021
Ryan Fitzpatrick put together a solid 2020 season with the rejuvenated Miami Dolphins. He threw for 2,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and 8 interceptions across 9 games (starts). Fitzpatrick completed over 68% of his passes and had an impressive 95.6 passer rating. He was pivotal in transforming a rebuilding Dolphins team in 2019 that made an impressive 5 win jump in 2020 to finish the season 10-6, narrowly missing out on the playoffs.
Fitzpatrick went to the Washington Football Team in Free Agency earlier this year.
Bill Belichick going back on his work as Cam Newton being a starter was probably a sign for future events. Both QBs performed well in New England’s second preseason matchup against Philadelphia on Thursday. Newton completed 8-of-9 passes for 103 yards with a touchdown. Jones finished 13-of-19 for 146 yards, leading three scoring drives.
But the third matchup against the Giants might have tipped the scales in Jones’ favour. The rookie threw an impressive 10 for 14, for 156 yards and a score. Newton on the other hand went 2/5 with no scores and 1 interception
And Cam Newton’s unvaccinated status, which caused him to miss 5 days of crucial practice, could also have factored into the Patriots’ decision to release him. Regardless of the situation, it sucks to see the 2015 NFL MVP out of a job this close to the season.
