Cam Newton re-signs with Patriots: Odds are Newton will be New England's Week 1 starting quarterback in 2021 NFL season

The New England Patriots finished 7-9 last season with Cam Newton as their primary starting quarterback, the team's first losing record in two decades. While Newton still showed he was a terrific runner, the former NFL MVP ranked 28th in passer rating at 82.9 and New England's offense was one of the worst in the league. Yet, the Patriots are bringing the band back together, so to speak, as they have re-signed Newton on a one-year, $14 million deal in a minor surprise. SportsLine offers NFL odds on New England's Week 1 starting quarterback.

Overall, Newton completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 picks in 15 games. If not for three Newton touchdown passes in the season finale win over the awful Jets, New England would have been the first team since the 2012 Kansas City Chiefs to finish with fewer than 10 TD passes in a season; the Pats finished with 12, tied for the fewest in the league with the Giants. Only the Jets and Ravens averaged fewer passing yards per game than New England's 180.6.

Newton is one of the great running quarterbacks in NFL history, and the 31-year-old (32 in May) still was very effective in that regard, rushing 137 times for 592 yards (franchise record for QB) and 12 scores (franchise record; tied for fourth in NFL). The Patriots were 7-8 against the spread in Newton's 15 starts with the Over/Under at 6-9. Since 2018 when he was with the Panthers, Newton's teams are an ugly 3-11 ATS on the road (second-worst road ATS mark of 78 NFL QBs)

Young Jarrett Stidham started the other game for New England, which was a 26-10 loss in Kansas City in Week 4 on a Monday night. Newton missed that game in COVID protocols, and Stidham was an awful 5-for-13 for 60 yards with a TD and two picks before being pulled for Brian Hoyer. In five total appearances last season, Stidham, a 2019 fourth-round pick, was 22-for-44 for 256 yards with two TDs, three picks and a rating of just 54.7. Stidham, under contract through the 2022 season, is clearly not the long-term answer.

To be fair to both quarterbacks, the Patriots had one of the worst groups of receivers/tight ends in the NFL last season. Expect them to be active in free agency at both positions, and free agency opens Wednesday. In 2020, the Patriots signed Newton as a free agent just before training camp in July. Newton probably wouldn't have had much of a chance at a starting job anywhere else for 2021, so this deal is a no-brainer for the former Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that signing Newton doesn't preclude the Pats from making another QB move in the weeks to come. Jimmy Garoppolo? Marcus Mariota? It certainly won't stop the Pats from potentially taking a quarterback with the No. 15 overall pick in April's draft.

New England is currently +4000 at William Hill Sportsbook to win Super Bowl 56; of course, a certain former Pats quarterback is the defending Super Bowl champion. 

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Who will be the Patriots' Week 1 starting QB?

• Cam Newton -150
• Rookie/other QB (FA, trade) +200
• Jarrett Stidham +500

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