The Patriots are back… but are they really?
It finally happened. Cam Newton signed a 1-year contract with the Patriots.
Look, I get it. I’m a Broncos fan, so I know firsthand how scared everybody is of the Patriots. Every move that Belicheck makes is the greatest move ever, and now everybody thinks that Patriots are Super Bowl favorites again.
Let’s take a step back, though. Cam was a really good QB five years ago. He won an MVP and led the Panthers to a 15-1 season and a Super Bowl berth with Ted Ginn as his best receiver. However, he hasn’t really been that good for the past few years. He only made the playoffs once after that Super Bowl, and he’s only had one winning season.
I know this can’t all be blamed on him. The team that the Panthers put around him was terrible. They didn’t have any really good receivers, and the only weapon that the offense had besides Cam was Christian McCaffrey. On top of that, McCaffrey really only got good during the past two years, and Cam was injured for most of those years.
However, the team wasn’t the biggest reason for his decline; the injuries were. Cam began to feel the effects of his scramble-heavy playstyle, and he wasn’t as athletic and explosive as he was during that Super Bowl run. Those injuries are still there today. He only played in two games last year before suffering a Lisfranc injury. Cam is still a very big injury risk.
Now, he’s on the Patriots, and people are thinking that he’ll lead them to another Super Bowl. Don’t be surprised, though, if Jarrett Stidham is starting in Week 1. Cam is too much of a risk and carries too much uncertainty. Also, the pandemic helps Stidham and hurts Cam. Stidham knows the Patriots system, and Cam doesn’t really have any way to learn the system. Because of this, Cam might not start until the end of the season, if at all. Because of this, the 2020 season for the Patriots hasn’t changed that much because of this signing.
However, things begin to get interesting during the 2021 season. Unless Stidham has an incredible year (and I don’t think he will), there is a solid chance that the Patriots will be forced to sign Cam. However, Cam will want a big contract, and the Patriots aren’t a team that is likely to give a large contract to a quarterback. Therefore, Cam will be in the same spot that he’s in right now. There will be one big difference, though; he’s going to be less of an injury risk. The pandemic, hopefully, will be over by then, and teams will be able to look at Cam and see if his health is fine.
Because of this, I think Cam will sign a big contract in 2021 with a surprise team: the Chicago Bears. The Bears are going to be desperate for a QB, and Cam will be the player that would paint the Bears in the best possible light. If Cam goes back to his 2015 form (if he stays healthy, I think he will), the Bears are an instant Super Bowl contender. The Bears defense is outstanding, and they have good weapons in Tarik Cohen and Allen Robinson. I think Cam will lead the Bears to a Super Bowl at some point during the decade, and I think he’ll end his career in the Hall of Fame.
So, yeah, those are my takes. The Bears become a Super Bowl contender, the Patriots aren’t affected that much, Cam Newton is a Hall-of-Famer, and the Panthers will look at their fellow NFC team and wonder what could have been. At least you guys still have Christian McCaffrey.
