Cam Newton hasn't played a single snap for the Patriots, yet former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum already is thinking about the quarterback's next contract with New England.
Tannenbaum, who once served as the New York Jets' general manager and the Miami Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, predicted Monday on ESPN's "Get Up" that the "early storyline" in Foxboro this season will center around Newton's future and whether the Patriots will lock up the QB beyond his current one-year pact.
"Mark my words," Tannenbaum said, "in two to three weeks, the early storyline that we'll be talking about is 'When is Cam Newton getting that extension? Cam Newton, Comeback Player of the Year? Can they keep up with Baltimore and Kansas City in the AFC?'
"If, and it is a big if, Cam Newton stays healthy, I love this match, and more importantly moving forward, I think he could be the Patriots quarterback for the next three, four, five years."
For now, the Patriots probably are content with seeing how Newton fares in wake of signing a team-friendly, one-year deal, especially if they ultimately view Jarrett Stidham as their quarterback of the future.
It's seemingly been a productive relationship thus far, though, with Newton even calling the arrangement a "match made in heaven." So perhaps it really is just a matter of time before Bill Belichick kicks around the idea of extending Newton's stay in New England.
"I think this offense will be really hard to defend because it's going to be diverse -- RPOs, direct quarterback runs, Julian Edelman, running backs that can catch the ball," Tannenbaum said.
Newton will make his Patriots debut Sunday when New England hosts the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
