Several months ago, the New England Patriots trusted Cam Newton to kick off the post-Tom Brady era. He was a former NFL MVP and one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks of all time, but that was long before the injuries caught up to him.
Newton’s first year playing for the Patriots was a big disappointment. He could barely throw the football and wasn’t an aggressive runner anymore. Clearly, his days as a starter in the league were coming to an end.
Nonetheless, no one expected Bill Belichick to make such a drastic decision to just release him 10 days before the start of the season. Now, first-round pick Mac Jones will be the team’s starting quarterback.
Patriots Release Cam Newton: Funniest Memes And Reactions
“The New England Patriots released quarterback Cam Newton during their final cutdown to 53 players on Tuesday, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The move leaves rookie first-round pick Mac Jones atop the depth chart as the starting quarterback. Newton, 32, was set to enter his second season with the Patriots, after going 7-8 in 15 games as a starter in 2020. He re-signed with the Patriots as a free agent in March on a one-year, $5.1 million deal with only $3.5 million guaranteed,” reported The Athletic.
Needless to say, this news traveled around the world in the blink of an eye, with internet trolls having a lot to say about it. Here, we gathered some of the funniest memes and reactions to this situation.
Mac Jones has repeatedly stated that he’s ready to embrace the opportunity. He was impressive in the preseason and recently said that he’s been preparing to be the starter since he got there:
“Like I always say, I’m focused on today. I think there’s a lot of stuff I can clean up. I held the ball a little too long at some points today. I’ll work on that … but I’m here to play any role I can play, help in any way I can, and I’m going to be ready whenever my time comes,” said the rookie quarterback. “I learned at a young age, just prepare like the starter. You don’t have to be the starter, but prepare, get into your routine.”
Jones was a star with the Alabama Crimson Tide but plenty of scouts doubted his ability to replicate his success in the pros. Now, he’ll have the ultimate chance to silence his critics and carry on Brady’s torch at Foxboro.
