The Patriots think Cam Newton is way ahead of where he was in his first year with the team, but they aren’t putting all of their quarterback eggs in one basket.
New England picked Mac Jones in the first round in April and they’ve been giving him first-team work this offseason along with Newton. On Tuesday, Newton was asked at a press conference how he felt about the team’s decision to take the former Alabama starter.
Newton responded that it “didn’t make me feel” anything because he thought Jones was the “right pick” and the “best player available” for the team at the time. Newton added that he supported the decision “110 percent” because of the need to do what’s right for the “long haul.”
The length of that haul will be a question around the Patriots until Jones is in the lineup and Newton’s ability to take the offense to a higher level than it reached last season will be crucial to the answer.