It didn’t take long for Bill Belichick to do his thing and send NFL coverage into overdrive on Tuesday morning. The New England Patriots have decided upon a new quarterback in Mac Jones, their first round pick. The resulting move was to send Cam Newton packing in free agency instead of simply demoting him. (We’re going to assume they tried to gain trade value out of him.)
When a move like this happens, it sets every fan base buzzing who want to bring the next big name to their favorite team. Most K.C. Chiefs fans likely have a reasonable perspective at this point, especially because Cam Newton is obviously damaged goods and it helps to have the game’s best overall player at the same position.
In past years, the chance to bring in a QB who has accomplished so much would have been excellent—back when the Chiefs were feasting on the Patriots other leftovers like Matt Cassel. However, some people are still apparently a fan of bringing in the big fish despite the lack of need or fit or logic. Check out this take:
My favorite Cam Newton landing spot is Kansas City Chiefs.
— Michael Schottey (@Schottey) August 31, 2021
He’d be an upgrade over Chad Henne and allow the offense to do some of what it does best if Mahomes goes down for a spell.
We’re glad K.C. is his favorite landing spot. We like it, too. But we’re also glad this guy isn’t anywhere near the Chiefs front office because the idea is silly. Anyone who wants to agree with him should bury the notion.
Cam Newton has no place with the Chiefs. Sorry.
First, Newton is still on that precipice of being a solid enough starter in the NFL to win games—or at least he carries that ceiling with him. Some NFL teams are so desperate at the position that they would do well to reach out to Newton and actually offer him enough value to come in and potentially compete for the starting role. In K.C., that’s obviously never happening.
Chad Henne is entrenched as the backup already in K.C., and while it’s not hard to make a case that Newton is more talented , it doesn’t make it a good fit. (That’s no shade on Henne, by the way. Newton is a generational talent in terms of his natural skill set and athleticism.)
In some weird multi-verse, evil Andy Reid would likely love to install packages for a Cam Newton and punish the NFL, but that sort of move is based in Madden or some other video game, where Cam wants to be a gimmick player and finances aren’t involved.
These Chiefs are set with what they have, focused on what they want, and the latest big name free agent isn’t going to come in and upset the proverbial apple cart. It would generate confusion and/or headlines and maybe some imaginative offensive packages but Newton isn’t coming to K.C. and anyone holding out such hopes should bury the notion.