Football fans across America took to their Twitter feeds this morning, to follow NFL cutdown day. No one expected to see Cam Newton‘s name on the hit list. But there he was in a Tweet sent out by the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride. The Patriots cut Cam Newton and his era is officially over in New England.
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
Cam Newton couldn’t right the ship
Newton was brought in just a year ago to take over the sinking ship Tom Brady had left for the next guy as he took a job in Tampa Bay. With no weapons and no real preseason to get acclimated, Newton led the Patriots to an 8-7 record. This included a small vacation on the COVID list. A trip which Newton never seemed to recover his early-season form – a form that some say he hadn’t gotten back to in 2021 either. But even that wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back at One Patriots Place.
A couple of factors in play with releasing Cam Newton rather than keeping him on as the Patriots' backup: His command of the locker room, and his vaccination status. Neither make him an ideal choice as a backup behind a rookie QB. — Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) August 31, 2021
Didn’t live and learn
Newton’s second trip to the Covid related absentee list, just hours before the Pats were set to start joint practices with the New York Giants, had made people in the owners box, locker room and coaches office “furious“ at his lack of dependability – or responsibility for that matter. Cam went to work every day in a building where well over half a million people were vaccinated for Covid, but he couldn’t be bothered.
The little kid talking to Cam Newton in this Play 60 commercial can now be officially identified as Mac Jones: pic.twitter.com/UskOThV3LA — Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) August 31, 2021
A new sheriff in New England
Cam’s lack of social awareness opened the door creating an opportunity for rookie Mac Jones. And Jones took it and passed his way up the depth chart. Jones from day one of mini camp has been seen as the harder worker – both in soaking up the playbook and in work on the field.
The chemistry he has built with his team on every level of the depth chart really came to light during these joint workouts with the Giants. And on Sunday in the Meadowlands – sorry (MetLife Stadium). A light that shone so bright that even Belichick couldn’t ignore it anymore. The kid is ready – more ready than Cam Newton.
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Featured Image via Mike Stobe/Getty Images
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