Cam Newton Rumors: Patriots Don't 'Have Any Immediate Interest' in QB

The New England Patriots don't "have any immediate interest" in quarterback Cam Newton, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that the Carolina Panthers were set to release Newton after being unable to work out a trade.

Newton's physical health was a clear concern for teams throughout the league after he underwent shoulder surgery in January 2019 and foot surgery in December.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams were unable to examine Newton like they normally would in previous offseasons. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the NFL and NFL Players Association have temporarily halted all football-related physicals.

Schefter reported that Newton had a physical Monday in Atlanta and was deemed to be healthy.

Still, Rapoport cast doubt earlier this month about whether the Patriots would want a marquee name to replace Tom Brady at quarterback.

New England agreed to a one-year deal with Brian Hoyer, per Rapoport, and it used a fourth-round pick on Jarrett Stidham in 2019.

The team only has $7 million in available salary-cap space, which is less money than Marcus Mariota will get in 2020 from the Las Vegas Raiders, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Based purely on need, Newton makes sense for the Patriots, and Bill Belichick has had success with veteran castoffs discarded by their old teams.

For all intents and purposes, though, Belichick looks content to lean on Hoyer or Stidham as his starting quarterback.