Cam Newton Picked as Starting Quarterback for New England Patriots

By M.G. Alison. First Posted: Sep 04, 2020 07:30 AM EDT

Cam Newton has been named the official starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, a rare move considering that the former Most Valuable Player is still on his first year with the team.

Aside from earning the quarterback starting position, Newton was also named the team captain, a position held by Tom Brady for 18 seasons.

Brady had departed the New England Patriots for Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the National Football League (NFL) 2020 season after testing the free agency market for the first time in his 20 years in the NFL.

Clearly, Newton has made quite an impression with the team whom he officially signed a one-year contract on July 8 for $1.05 million with $550,000 guaranteed. He initially agreed to join them on June 28.

According to an ESPN report, coach Bill Belichick announced Thursday to the team that Newton will be their official starting quarterback.

Before being named as the starting quarterback and team captain, Newton was also elected by the players as one of the offensive captains alongside running back James White and center David Andrews.

Newton will be stepping into quite big shoes as Brady is not only considered as the most successful player in NFL history but he also led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles.

The Patriots will open their Super Bowl LV campaign on September 13 against the Miami Dolphins at the Gilette Stadium, as reported by the NBC.

The much-awaited 2020 NFL season, which cancelled its preseason games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be kicked off by the Super Bowl LIV champions Kansas City Chiefs, who will be hosting the Houston Texans at the Arrowhead Stadium.

An NFL report stated that it was clear that the Patriots had Newton in mind to take over Brady's position but he had to work hard during the training camp before Belichick willingly gave him the post.

With Jarret Stidham hobbled by a hip injury and Newton working hard to learn a new system fast, it became eventually clear that he was being groomed for the position.

Newton has made quite an impression on Belichick who has been praising the former MVP for the past few days.

In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, the Patriots head coach said that with Newton in the training camp, he can now see why he had the kind of success he had with Auburn Tigers and Carolina Panthers.

Belichick said that nobody works hard than Newton. He described him as extremely hardworking, arrives early for training and is one of the last ones to go home.

According to Belichick, what he respects about Newton is how he constantly works to improve on things that he is not good at on a daily basis.

He also noted that with his energetic approach and great personality, Newton greatly affects the team and gets along with everybody.