It sounds like Cam Newton was really struggling with the playbook before the Patriots cut him.
The Patriots sent shockwaves through the NFL when they cut the dual-threat QB after Bill Belichick had sounded committed to him as the starter. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Well, more details are coming out, and Newton might have been struggling in a big way with the playbook.
BREAKING NEWS: The #Patriots have released Cam Newton. Mac Jones is the starting QB in New England. https://t.co/3qE1qu6xqC
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) August 31, 2021
According to the New York Post, former Patriots player Rob Ninkovich said on his YouTube series that rookie QB Mac Jones had to help teach the veteran passer the playbook.
“From what I gained from sources inside the actual building… Mac was basically helping Cam learn the playbook. Mac was having less mental errors and a better understanding of the offense,” Ninkovich explained.
Bill Belichick spent the offseason telling people Cam Newton was the starting QB.
He needed one month of seeing Mac Jones in practice to know the former Alabama star is the real deal.
MASSIVE news out of New England as Newton is now unemployed (with a $3.5 million parting gift) https://t.co/3Ys7d2wE4R
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) August 31, 2021
If this report is true, then it makes perfect sense why the Patriots cut Newton loose. If he didn’t understand the playbook and Mac Jones had to teach it to him, then there was no point in keeping him around.
It would make sense to waste time developing Newton’s understanding of the system if Jones already had it down.
Did Cam Newton lose his job because he’s unvaccinated?
Bill Belichik says it’s not true, but some reports say otherwise.
Buckle up because I promise you NFL teams will try to find ways to get away with cutting unvaccinated players. pic.twitter.com/QiAy9VC8XJ
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) September 1, 2021
Now, Newton is on the free agency market with no options as of right now and Jones will start week one. It’s crazy how much things have changed since before the 2021 draft.
Will Newton land on a new team? I have no idea, but I think it’s safe to say that his best football is long behind him.
The Patriots have released Cam Newton
It is time for Mac Jones QB1 pic.twitter.com/JceNgmWLEe
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 31, 2021
We’ll see how it all shakes out, but it’s 100% the Mac Jones show now in New England.