Cam Newton: Workload with Patriots was ‘ridiculous,’ as was Boston traffic

"That was gonna be like 45 minutes to an hour, depending on what traffic was even at that time at night."

Cam Newton played just one full season with the Patriots in 2020. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray, File)

March 14, 2024

1 minute to read

Cam Newton only played one full season with the Patriots, but it didn’t take long for the former NFL MVP to feel like a true Bostonian.

During the latest episode of his “4th & 1” YouTube show, Newton discussed his tenure with the Patriots, and admitted that his hectic schedule as the team’s QB weighed on him.

“My workload in a given day was ridiculous,” Newton said “I would leave the facility around like 8 and 9 p.m. and be back in the facility at like, 4:35.”

The taxing prep work and practice schedules that were hallmarks during Tom Brady’s tenure in New England carried over with Newton’s short reign as the team’s QB1.

But Newton’s hectic routine in Foxborough wasn’t aided by the brutal traffic he had to endure while driving back to Boston every single day.

“Then I would have to drive back to Boston. That was gonna be like 45 minutes to an hour, depending on what traffic was even at that time at night — or early in the morning,” Newton said. “I was like, damn. It was a lot, man.”

Of course, Newton’s experiences stuck in gridlock don’t come as much of a surprise to the thousands of Massachusetts residents who have inched their way down Route 1 over the years — especially before and after Patriots games on Sundays.

Newton led the Patriots to a 7-9 record during the 2020 season, throwing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for 592 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns.

Even though Newton acknowledged that the daily grind in Foxborough was unlike anything he experienced in the NFL, he credited then-quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch (now head coach at the University of Washington) for helping him stay focused throughout the 2020 campaign.

“It’s an art,” Newton said. “It’s not for everybody. Some would say it wasn’t for me. I experienced it. It was something that — I told them — it will always have a long-lasting effect on how I view business now.

“Because there’s a reason why they were a dynasty for so long. It’s because they created a way that was a proven product.”