“After entering training camp as New England’s starting quarterback, Cam Newton didn’t just lose that job on Tuesday – he lost his roster spot, too. The Patriots cut Newton, the N.F.L.’s most valuable player in 2015, as they began paring their roster to the league-mandated 53 players before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The move allows the rookie Mac Jones, who excelled in camp and the preseason, to start in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 12” the New York Times reports.
“Newton, 32, started all three of New England’s preseason games, including Sunday’s preseason finale at the Giants, in which he played two series. But he missed three days of practice last week because of what the team said was a ‘misunderstanding’ related to Covid-19 protocols after a team-approved medical appointment out of the area. His absence enabled Jones to take more first-team snaps. ‘I feel like everybody’s way ahead of where they were last year,’ Coach Bill Belichick said of Newton on Tuesday, hours before news of his release surfaced. ‘Certainly, he started at a much higher point than what he did last year, so definitely moving in the right direction.’ Not long after he was released, Newton thanked his fans in a statement posted on his Instagram account. ‘I really appreciate all the love and support during this time but I must say… please don’t feel sorry for me!! I’m good,’ Newton wrote.”