Patriots Rumors: Latest Buzz on Cam Newton, Brian Hoyer Trade

Things will be a whole lot different for the New England Patriots now that the Tom Brady era is over.

Brady won six Super Bowls in 20 years with the Patriots, so he's not easily replaceable. But New England must find their man under center before the 2020 NFL season begins.

Conventional wisdom suggests that head coach Bill Belichick has a plan to keep the Patriot Way alive with a new signal-caller who will keep his team at or near the top of the AFC East.

But until he makes his strategy known, there will be plenty of rumors to sort through.

No Cam Do?

After the quarterback carousel during this summer's free agency period came to a full stop, the most prominent names still available are Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston and Cam Newton.

Flacco was released by the Denver Broncos and Winston cut by Brady's new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But when Newton was dropped by the Carolina Panthers, analysts began discussing the possibility of the 2015 MVP starting his second act in New England.

But according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, "it doesn't appear" that the Patriots have "any immediate interest" in Newton.

That doesn't mean New England can't reconsider at a later date. However, there may be lot of hesitation for the Patriots or any other team because of the 30-year old's health.

At his peak powers, Newton was a convincing dual threat in the pocket. He is the Panthers' all-time leader in passing and rushing touchdowns and remains the only the player in league history to have done so for a single franchise.

But he'll always be haunted by the strip-sack in the Super Bowl, where detractors believe he didn't go as hard as he should have. He earned even more critics after he walked out of his post-game press conference.

Additionally, he's had two shoulder surgeries and one foot surgery, which may make teams wary of giving the keys to their offense to a quarterback who can't seem to stay healthy.

Still, Newton's talent can't be denied.

On a new team, in a new environment, he will be challenged, and he most likely will answer the call and shine.

He won't remain jobless, it just a matter of who will sign him and when.

Chances are, though, that team won't be helmed by coach Belichick.

Hoyer or Bust?

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To mitigate the departure of Tom Brady, the Patriots signed quarterback Brian Hoyer to a one-year, $1.05 million deal after he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts.

But according to The Athletic's Stephen Holder, the Patriots were in talks to trade for the 34-year old quarterback in free agency before landing him.

"While it's unclear how close this came to fruition, two league sources said the Colts and Patriots engaged in discussions last week about a potential deal for quarterback Brian Hoyer," Holder wrote.

The trade never materialized, and Hoyer, who was owed a $2 million bonus if the Colts kept him on the roster after signing Phillip Rivers, was released.

Hoyer was on the last year of a three-year, $12 million contract. Had the deal gone through, New England would have had to foot the bill for the remainder of that deal.

Instead, they got the man they wanted for a bargain.

Hoyer reportedly had other, more lucrative offers on the table for his services, but he chose the Patriots because he was told he could compete for the starting job.

"If someone offered him $5 million or $6 million to be backup, Brian still would've wanted to be back in New England," Hoyer's agent Joe Linta told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. "They gave him a chance to compete for the starting job, and that's all he asked for."

This is Hoyer's third stint with New England, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2009.

To win the starting job, he'll have to battle it out with Jarrett Stidham and Cody Kessler.

Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference