Cam Newton’s signing by the Patriots may haunt the Bills this season

The Bills faith in franchise Quarterback Josh Allen swayed them from adding Cam Newton. With Newton now a Patriot. Will the Bills regret that decision?

Despite the challenges that await the upcoming NFL season, due to COVID-19 concerns. Buffalo"s hopes of hosting and winning a playoff game for the first time since 1995, seem as real as ever. The prospects of facing second-year Quarterback Jarrett Stidham and overtaking New England were very realistic.

That"s until news hit this past weekend of the New England Patriots signing Cam Newton to a one-year incentive-laden deal that can reportedly pay Newton up to 7.5 million dollars. Rather than sit around, waiting for a desperate team to give him a substantial financial agreement. The former league MVP, Newton, is gambling on himself with the best poker player around in Bill Belichick.

If the Patriots win the AFC East, As a result of a rejuvenated Cam Newton keeping the Pats on top of the mountain. The Bills will have no one to blame but themselves. After all, Buffalo could have prevented Newton from doing so. Cam Newton could have easily become a Buffalo Bill. There is one apparent reason why he"s not.

Josh Allen

“I think somebody should take a shot on Cam Newton. Cam is a proud guy, has a lot to prove and I think whoever takes a shot on him, will appreciate what he brings to the team."

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane commenting on Cam Newton back in April.

The team taking a shot on Cam Newton is the franchise that presents the Bills" most significant obstacle in taking their next step forward. Publicly, the Bills have gone on record recently, declaring the Patriots as still the team to beat in the AFC East. The Newton signing cements that statement.

Despite the teams" admiration for Cam Newton and the Carolina-Buffalo pipeline, Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane have installed the last few years. The Bills decided to pass on the former Panthers" superstar signal-caller. McDermott, the former Panthers Defensive coordinator, saw first hand the greatness of Newton in Carolina.

In 2015, the Panthers went 15-1 and reached the Super Bowl. Cam Newton was voted league MVP and did so without a star-studded supporting cast. A lot has changed since then.

Detractors of Cam Newton will point to his perceived character flaws. An opinion that the Bills brass of Beane and McDermott does not share. Others will look to Newton"s cascade of injuries in recent years, ranging from a surgically repaired right throwing shoulder to multiple lower-body injuries, most recently a Lisfranc sprain that cost Newton the majority of last season.

The sole reason that Cam Newton is not a Buffalo Bill is Josh Allen. The Bills" entire hopes lie in the legs and throwing arm of their franchise Quarterback. Ironically, the reason Allen"s stock was so high, to begin with, was the comparisons to Cameron Newton.

The Bills brass of Beane and McDermott saw a lot of Newton"s game in Allen when they drafted him back in 2018. For better or for worse, to this point in his career, Josh Allen has shown Newton-type ability but is far from the star that Newton is.

It"s fair to wonder if Cam Newton can recapture his MVP form, and it"s also fair to wonder if Newton would have accepted a potential backup role in Buffalo. If the Bills had signed Newton this offseason, it would have been as insurance if Allen falters.

Despite the natural connections to Buffalo"s brain trust. The signing of Newton would"ve been a clear vote of non-confidence in Josh Allen. The Bills are not ready to pull the plug on Allen as their guy. At least not yet.

Convincing Cam Newton to join Buffalo without assurances that he would be the starter would"ve been trying. However, keeping Newton away from New England would"ve been a wise way of ensuring the QB position in Buffalo and a clearer path to the AFC East championship. That path may see Cam Newton standing in the Bills" way.

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