Rodney Harrison explained why it would be a ‘terrible mistake’ for the Patriots to bring back Cam Newton
"Cam can't play football anymore. He just can't play quarterback in the National Football League."
Throughout the 2020 season, even amid the Patriots’ first below-.500 record since 2000, Bill Belichick had nothing but praise for quarterback Cam Newton.
The 31-year-old Newton threw just eight touchdowns against 10 interceptions, but ran for 12 touchdowns as New England finished 7-9.
Looking ahead, the 2015 NFL MVP is now a free agent, and might head elsewhere.
But given the Patriots’ uncertainty at the quarterback position, would it make sense to bring Newton back and give him another chance?
On a recent episode of “Patriots Talk Podcast” with Tom E. Curran, former New England safety Rodney Harrison (now an NBC analyst) vehemently disagreed with the idea of Newton getting a second season with the Patriots.
“That would be the worst decision [Belichick] has ever made,” said Harrison. “Because now you’re not being fair to your team. When I saw what I saw with Cam, every time I saw Cam play pretty much I was hurt. Because I was a guy that believed in Cam, and when you see him drop back and he continues to throw the ball into the ground, throw it five feet or five yards above somebody else, you’re like, ‘What are you doing, Cam?’
“Trust me, we’re all fans,” Harrison added. “And yeah we’re Patriot fans, but we’re football fans. We want to see these young men do well in their lives and in their livelihood. And so everybody was sitting back rooting for Cam.
“But yeah I would say this: You have to find a quarterback,” Harrison explained. “It would be a terrible mistake for Bill Belichick to bring Cam back because Cam can’t play football anymore. He just can’t play quarterback in the National Football League.”
Newton, the 2011 No. 1 overall pick by the Panthers, battled injuries for multiple seasons before being released by the Carolina in 2020.
Following the ultimately disappointing season with the Patriots, he acknowledged in January that he might have to accept a backup role in 2021.
“I’ll put it like this: You can’t put that ‘I’m all about money’ label on me,” Newton told WEEI. “Obviously you guys know what I made this year. So I wasn’t in Forbes. And at the same time, I look at it like this. I know out of 32 guys, I’m not the 32nd position rank in that position. So you have to also understand I’m a competitor first. I think the highest of myself first as any person would and should. I know what my skillset is, I know what my talent is. I understand that if given the opportunity, there is nobody better than me. That’s how I will always feel.
“I have to also feel realistic about the opportunity that is presented as well,” Newton added. “So who knows if it takes being a backup.”
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