Cam Newton Breaks Silence on Replacing Tom Brady After Signing With Patriots

Cam Newton knows exactly what he's walking into as the newest member of the New England Patriots. In a roundtable interview with Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Todd Gurley, Newton talked about what he described as "the elephant in the room," which is replacing Tom Brady who led the team to nine Super Bowl appearances in 20 seasons. Newton said Brady is "great" but is confident he can expand the offense with his abilities.

"(People were) like, 'You know who (you're) coming after?'" Newton said via USA Today. "I'm like, 'Yeah, great. What he was — what he is — is great. Needs no even talking about it.'" Newton went on to say offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will "call some stuff that you ain't ever been able to call now. You're getting a dog. You're getting one of these ticked-off dogs, too." And when it comes to the 2020 season, Newton is motivated to take down every team, stating, "I'm like, 'Who (are) we playing? That team passed on me! OK, that team passed on me. They could've came and got me.'"

The roundtable interview was the first time Newton has publicly said anything about replacing Tom Brady. He has been on social media talking about joining the Patriots and what happened during this time with the Carolina Panthers. And while he wanted to stay Carolina since that's where he got his start, Newton is ready to do big things in with Bill Belichick and company.

"Now I'm going to another situation where I get coached by arguably the best coach," Newton said. "It's like if we were playing spades, it's like, 'Bro, you give me your hand, and you get my hand, and let's see what you'll do with it.'" Newton only signed a one-year deal, which could be worth as much as $7.5 million. That's not a lot for a quarterback of Newton's stature, but if he plays well and stays healthy, he will have the opportunity to get one more big contract extension before his NFL career comes to an end.

Newton had a strong run with the Panthers, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011, winning the MVP award in 2015, and leading the Panthers to the Super Bowl that same year. The last two years have been challenging for Newton as he's been dealing with multiple injuries.