Why ex-NFL player thinks Cam Newton makes Patriots Super Bowl contenders

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"It will be interesting to see how it all plays out."

When Devin McCourty talked about the Patriots' signing of Cam Newton on his "Double Coverage" podcast Sunday, he was speaking for football fans everywhere, especially New England.

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While it's too soon to tell if Newton or Jarrett Stidham will win the starting job in 2020, the former NFL MVP brings an impressive pedigree to Foxboro. And one former NFL player says Newton also brings something else: a shot at another Lombardi Trophy.

"When you sign Cam Newton, you're not signing a player as much as you're signing an entire offense, which is what he was for the Panthers," said ESPN's Domonique Foxworth on "Get Up" Monday morning. "He was their whole offense, and I think there's a similar situation in New England right now, where they don't have a bunch of big, playmaking, skill position guys, but you put Cam behind that offensive line with some smart coaching and a great defense, and all of a sudden you become a realistic Super Bowl contender when just yesterday, I would have said that they weren't going to make the playoffs."

Newton's arrival has already impacted the Patriots' Super Bowl odds, with DraftKings Sportsbook moving their chances up the boards to +1700, good for third-best in the AFC behind the Chiefs and Ravens, and tied with the Cowboys for the sixth-best in the NFL.

Though shoulder and foot injuries limited Newton's production in 2019 and at the tail end of the 2018 season, a healthy Newton playing on a one-year, make-good contract where he can prove his worth (and potentially force a bigger free agent contract in 2021) could be a win-win for both team and player.

And for Foxworth, Newton's health is the key to the Patriots' season.

As long as Cam is healthy, I think he is talented enough to bring that offense to average or above average, and if that defense can repeat as one of the best in the league, then yes, they are a realistic Super Bowl contender.

Newton has already played in the Super Bowl once, during his MVP campaign of 2015. He struggled against the Broncos defense in Super Bowl 50, completing just 18-of-41 passes for 265 yards and three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles) en route to a 24-10 defeat.

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