Cam Newton has reported to New England Patriots training camp, which means he got to wear his new uniform for the first time. On Monday, the Patriots revealed a new photo of Newton wearing his No. 1 Patriots jersey. Newton signed a one-year contract with the Patriots after being cut by the Carolina Panthers in March.
In July, Newton talked about replacing Tom Brady, who was with the Patriots for 20 seasons and led them to six Super Bowl wins. “(People were) like, ‘You know who (you’re) coming after?’” Newton said in a roundtable interview with Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley and Victor Cruz. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, great. What he was — what he is — is great. Needs no even talking about it.’” Newton went on to say how motivated he is to prove to everyone that he’s still able to play the game at a high level. “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,’” Newton added.
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Cam Newton’s first official photo in his Patriots jersey. pic.twitter.com/tn5SVJIl1M
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 4, 2020
The contract Newton signed for will allow him to earn up to $7 million. And while that’s not a lot based on what Newton has done in his career, he revealed the reason why he signed with the Patriots. “It’s not a lot of things money cannot buy, but amongst the top of that list of things, you wild respect as one of those,” Newton wrote in an Instagram post. “This is not about money for me, it’s about respect.” Newton will be competing against Jarrett Stidham for the starting QB spot, but it’s likely Newton will win the job as long as he can stay healthy.
Newton was originally drafted by the Panthers No. 1 overall in 2011. During his career in Carolina, Newton was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2015, and he led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance during his MVP season. However, Newton was dealing with injuries the last two seasons, including a foot injury that led to him only playing two games in 2019. With Newton only having one year left on his contract with the Panthers, the team decided to let him go and sign Teddy Bridgewater.
