During a recent roundtable discussion on Odell Beckham’s YouTube channel with the Browns wide receiver, Falcons running back Todd Gurley and retired Giants WR Victor Cruz, Cam Newton described replacing Tom Brady in New England as “the elephant in the room.”
Newton, who signed with the Patriots late last month and is tentatively expected to be the starter for Bill Belichick in New England ahead of second-year QB Jarrett Stidham and veteran Brian Hoyer if he’s healthy, told the panel he knows he’s replacing a great player.
But, assuming he is able to mesh with Belichick’s prickly personality, Newton pointed out he will provide Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with some options that perhaps Brady didn’t.
“But one thing about it, though: Coach McDaniels, you’re able to call some stuff that you ain’t ever been able to call now,” Newton said in somewhat of a veiled shot at Brady. “You’re getting a dog. You’re getting one of these ticked-off dogs too. And I’m looking at the schedule and I’m like, ‘Who we’re playing? That team passed on me! OK, that team passed on me. They could’ve came and got me.’”
McDaniels, who drafted Tim Tebow and has always coveted a mobile quarterback, is well aware of what Newton can do as a dual-threat. In his two games against the Patriots, both wins, Newton completed 41-of-57 passes (71.9 percent) for 525 yards with six touchdowns and also rushed 15 times for 106 yards (7.07 yards per carry) and an additional score.
With a base salary of just $1.05 million that includes only $550,000 guaranteed, Newton will be motivated to put his arm and legs to work as he can earn up to $7.5 million through per-game roster bonuses and incentives.
In another bit of news to come out of the discussion, Beckham revealed he actually considered retiring after breaking his ankle while playing for the Giants in 2017.
Here's the Odell Beckham Jr. injury. It's bad. Really bad. pic.twitter.com/TLChjKpFOG
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) October 8, 2017
“I thought about not playing no more. Like, this is not really it for me,” the 27-year-old said. “I said this in college, I said, ‘I fear the day that they make this game a business and not what I love. And when I seen that for the first time … after breaking my ankle, like, I thought about not playing no more … they’ve ruined the game of football for me a little bit.”
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