Cam Newton made it clear he would love to return to the New England Patriots in 2021. But would Bill Belichick and Co. really run it back with the former NFL MVP after such a disappointing season?
It isn't out of the realm of possibility. Newton said on the "I Am Athlete" podcast he would be willing to sign a one-year deal to give it another try in Foxboro. If the Patriots struggle to find their next guy this offseason, Newton could re-enter the picture.
What would it take for the Patriots to give Newton another shot? In what scenario would it make sense to re-sign him? Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry discuss on a brand new Patriots Talk Podcast.
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Patriots Talk Podcast: Would anything really change if Cam Newton returned to the Patriots? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"OK, here's the scenario: Number one, the Niners never part ways with Jimmy Garoppolo," Perry said. "And maybe the Patriots wait, they wait for the Niners because maybe they don't want to trade for that contract and they don't think anybody else is going to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, so they just wait for Jimmy Garoppolo to be released. And he's just never released.
"That's number one. Number two would be if Marcus Mariota somehow ends up going for a second-round pick somewhere in a trade because a team gets desperate and Ryan Fitzpatrick signs for between 12 and 15 million bucks for one season. If all of those things happen, and they end up with nobody in the draft, nobody in free agency and nobody via trade, you get through all that stuff and you get into maybe mid-May, and even the Teddy Bridgewaters of the world have found other homes, that's how it works out. I know this interview has made people go a little bit bonkers, and now everyone's talking themselves into this possibility of him coming back, I still feel the likelihood is low."
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Curran: Can Cam's pitch to return persuade the Patriots?
Curran echoes Perry's point by saying Newton would simply be an emergency option for New England in 2021.
"I'm with you. I said it last night and I'll say it again, Cam Newton needs to be and I think will be an "in case of emergency, break glass" option," Curran said. "The emergency might be on the Patriots' part if they somehow just keep smashing their car into bridge abutments over the next two months and can't get a Bridgewater, and can't get a Mariota, and can't get a Garoppolo or a [Mitchell] Trubisky. Don't want an Alex Smith, don't want an Andy Dalton ... And then you say, 'OK it is May, it's [Jarrett] Stidham and we've got to add somebody. Let's just bring him in, bring him back.' "
Also discussed in the new episode - Did Cam talk his way back to the Patriots? In what scenario does it make sense to bring him back? Is there any way to make Cam a ‘good fit’ for the Patriots offense? Would new offensive weapons really help Cam? And will Adam Butler and David Andrews be back next year?
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube below: