It seems Cam Newton’s future is still up in the air with the New England Patriots.
On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter was interpreted as having reported that Newton and the Patriots would be going their separate ways this offseason.
Here was the verbiage Schefter used:
“Cam Newton sounded resigned this week to the fact that he’ll be moving on from New England,” Schefter said on “Sunday NFL Countdown.” “It looks like he’s looking for something different, the Patriots are looking for something different.
“Both sides enjoyed their relationship, but both sides expect that it will take them to a different place and a different direction in 2021 with Cam Newton likely moving on and the Patriots in search of a new quarterback for next season. We’ll see what direction they decide to go.”
Schefter later said through ESPN’s Mike Reiss that it was not a report and actually “part of an overall discussion.”
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about Schefter’s segment Sunday after New England beat the New York Jets 28-14 in their season finale. Here was the back and forth:
Q: “There was a report on ESPN today that there’s an understanding between you and Cam Newton that you’ll be going in different directions this offseason. Is there an understanding that this was Cam’s final game?”
BB: “Is that another one of your anonymous reports?”
Q: “That was from Adam Schefter this morning.”
Q: “I don’t think that’s what Adam said. You should talk to Adam about that then. Great question. Thank you.”
Reiss later clarified Schefter’s intention during the news conference.
“I appreciate what you said on the question about Adam,” Reiss said. “Because he had reached out as a colleague of mine, and he just wanted to make sure what he said was represented accurately. That it wasn’t a report, it was part of an overall discussion.”
Even ESPN’s “SportsCenter” Twitter account characterized what Schefter said as a report.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Sunday that it’s possible that Newton still could return to New England.
Newton was asked about his future with the Patriots on Sunday. He wasn’t giving any tells.
“Listen, I have my desires,” Newton said. “I know what my heart is saying. I know the things that — who I am. But as far as that, I can’t really speak on that right now. Just my whole time here in New England has just been a blessing. I’ve learned so much about myself, about my great teammates, unbelievable coaches. I’ll just see how it goes and we’ll go from there.”
Newton went 7-8 as the Patriots’ starting quarterback this season. He finished strong in Sunday’s win, completing 21-of-30 passes for 242 yards with three touchdowns and 11 carries for 79 yards.
Newton also said “without a doubt” things would have gone differently if he had more time to learn the Patriots’ system. Newton was signed in July and didn’t play any preseason games with his new team.
