Cam Newton immediately raises New England Patriots’ ceiling

Cam Newton is not guaranteed to be a star for the New England Patriots, but he undoubtedly raises their ceiling as a football player.

I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it did come across as one. On Sunday night, the New England Patriots made a significant addition to their football team when they added quarterback Cam Newton to the mix. Newton is a former league MVP who undoubtedly has the raw talent and ability to be one of the premier signal-callers in the entire NFL.

Newton was set up to be the franchise quarterback for the Carolina Panthers for many years, but a nagging shoulder injury has held him back the past few years and led the Panthers to move on this offseason. The Panthers wanted to go in a different direction over the offseason and signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to lead them at the quarterback position.

Whether Bridgewater ends up being their long-term franchise quarterback or not, Newton was not going to be their guy. With most teams leaving the 2020 NFL Draft with a strong quarterback situation, Newton did not find much of a market this offseason and eventually settled for a one-year prove-it deal with the New England Patriots.

With Tom Brady gone, the Patriots appeared to be ready to move forward to second-year fourth-round quarterback Jarrett Stidham as their starter. Stidham has some ability, but the Patriots were clearly had the most questionable quarterback situation in the entire league.

I am sure that Belichick was ready to move forward with Stidham as the starter if necessary, but with Cam Newton out there looking for a job, the value was simply too high to ignore.

Belichick is always looking for value and nothing is more valuable than an elite-level quarterback on an insignificant contract. Newton may not ever reach his ceiling again, but if he does with the New England Patriots in 2020, he will be the single most valuable player in the entire league.

Stidham is certainly an interesting quarterback who could grow into a capable starter for the Patriots down the line. That being said, his ceiling is not anything close to prime Cam Newton. If Newton puts his injuries behind him and gets his career back on track with the Patriots, the sky is the limit for this team.

Simply put, having Cam Newton on the roster raises the ceiling of the 2020 New England Patriots. It could end up being an inconsequential move, but adding Newton clearly improves what this team could potentially become.