The Patriots agreed to terms with Cam Newton on June 28. Bill Belichick had not spoken about the signing until Friday.
“Things worked out,” Belichick said on a conference call. “We spent quite a bit of time with Cam, and he spent quite a bit of time with us. I think it was a mutual interest. We [spoke to] quite a . . . number of different people and had a number of different conversations just trying to see how the fit would be. It was very positive on our end, and I’m glad it worked out.”
The Patriots, though, are not just handing over the starting job. Newton will have to prove he’s healthy . . . and the best quarterback on the roster.
He certainly is the most accomplished. Brian Hoyer is the only other quarterback on the team’s roster to have started a game, though the Patriots are high on second-year veteran Jarrett Stidham.
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Patriots are uncertain of their No. 1 quarterback.
“That spot’s the same as all the other spots on the team,” Belichick said. “We’ve got a long way to go, and we’ll see how things turn out. I can’t control how players perform. That’s up to them. We’ll give everybody an opportunity and see what happens.”
Newton, 31, has a league MVP and started a Super Bowl in his nine seasons. He has completed 2,371 passes for 29,041 yards and 182 touchdowns with 108 interceptions, while running for 4,806 yards and 58 scores.