Cam Newton Rumors: Patriots' McDaniels Not 'Necessarily High' on Ex-Panthers QB

Cam Newton likely won't be suiting up for the New England Patriots this season.

Joseph Person and Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Wednesday the AFC East team has not been interested in bringing in the former Carolina Panthers signal-caller. Person noted the Patriots have just $1 million in cap space and are "invested in Jarrett Stidham."

Person also reported that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels "wasn't necessarily high on Newton when he was talking to the Panthers about their head coaching vacancy."

On the surface, New England seemed like a potential landing spot for Newton.

After all, Tom Brady is no longer there and head coach Bill Belichick may be in win-now mode in an effort to prove himself without the all-time great quarterback. Stidham is a relative unknown, even if the Patriots are high on his potential.

That seemingly will not be happening, though, which means Newton is still looking for a destination.

While he turns 31 years old this month and played just two games last year because of injury, he also has an Offensive Rookie of the Year, league MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, three Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl appearance on his resume. He also isn't that far removed from the 2017 season when he led the Panthers to an 11-5 record and playoff appearance.

He also reportedly doesn't have much interest in becoming a backup with that type of resume. 

Person reported Newton would rather wait for an injury and become a replacement than settle for a backup role, which could leave him without a team until the season starts if he takes that route.

Even if Stidham were to suffer an injury, it seems as if McDaniels would want to look in a different direction given this report.