Cam Newton reveals ‘uncomfortable’ Mac Jones truth behind Patriots release
Cam Newton is “clearing the air.”
The free agent quarterback explained his “side of the story” after his surprise release from the Patriots in a YouTube video Friday — and suggested that if he remained in New England as a backup, rookie QB Mac Jones would’ve felt “uncomfortable.”
Jones, who the Patriots selected 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, was named as the team’s starting quarterback after Newton’s release.
“Let me be honest with you… if they would’ve asked me, if they said, ‘Cam, we’re going to give the team to Mac, you’re going to be the second string. We expect you to be everything and some to help guide him through this tenure’ — I would’ve said, ‘Absolutely,'” Newton said in the latest edition of his “Funky Friday” YouTube series.
The episode included his father, Cecil Newton Sr., who didn’t seem pleased by his son’s willingness to take a backup job to a rookie.
“The truth of the matter is, this — [Mac] would have been uncomfortable,” Newton said, to which his father asked, “[About] you looking over his shoulder?”
Newton replied, “Yeah, he would’ve,” explaining that, “[The Patriots] knew because you have to understand too that [I’m an intimidating presence], and it comes with the mere fact of me being me.”
“The reason they released me is because indirectly I was going to be a distraction without being the starter. Just my aura. That’s my gift and my curse. When you bring a Cam Newton to your facility, your franchise, people are interested.”
Elsewhere in the video, Newton admitted that he was surprised about his release when meeting with head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots senior football advisor, Matt Patricia — describing the meeting as being “uncomfortable for everybody.”
Though, when he reflected on the events leading up to his release, Newton started to connect the dots.
“I look back at it, I was probably getting two reps to his 10 reps, and that’s why it was starting to make sense. Even though I was starting (preseason games), that doesn’t necessarily mean nothing, and that’s where they did a good job of disguising it,” Newton said.
In a teaser clip ahead of the video’s release, Newton confirmed he’s not retiring.
“This is not a retirement speech. I have a lot of football still in me. Got a lot of football left in me,” he said.
The 32-year-old was released from the Patriots last Tuesday after the team re-signed him this offseason on a one-year, $5.1 million deal.
Since he became a free agent, NFL teams haven’t expressed much interest in the 2015 NFL MVP. On Thursday, Steelers star JuJu Smith Schuster shut down speculation that Pittsburgh would pick up Newton as a backup for Ben Roethlisberger.
Newton’s NFL future may come down to whether or not he’s willing to accept a backup position — because currently, there are no starting QB positions open around the league.
Though, between mounting injuries and COVID-19 restrictions within the NFL’s safety protocols, rosters have already started to shuffle ahead in Week 1.
Newton, who is presumed to be unvaccinated, violated the NFL’s health and safety protocols before his Patriots release and was forced to be separated from the team for five days. He missed a joint practice with the Giants, which could have helped Jones secure the starting spot.
“Do I think this would have happened without me being away from the team for five days? Honestly yes, it was going to happen. Did it help ease the decision? Yes,” Newton said about his COVID-related absence.