Cam Newton Discusses Possible Retirement: 'I Definitely Can't Go Out Like This'

Cam Newton has had a tough 2020 season, but the New England Patriots quarterback isn't contemplating retirement just yet.

"I still have a lot of football left. I still want to play football. I have the urge to be better," he said Monday in his weekly interview on WEEI (h/t Mike Reiss of ESPN). "After putting out this film? Hey, c'mon now. I can't go out like this. I definitely can't go out like this."

As for whether he'll remain the starter for the rest of the season after the Patriots (6-8) were eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday's 22-12 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Newton wouldn't speculate.

"I'm going to leave it up to the people who I've been leaving it up to since day one. I'm not going to feed into that," he said. "I'm still on a job interview, to be honest with you."

It might make sense for the Patriots to give Jarrett Stidham the final two starts of the season to further evaluate him. With Newton heading to free agency, the Pats need to decide at some point if Stidham can potentially be the long-term starter or whether they need to address the position. 

Newton, 31, hasn't played well this year, throwing for 2,381 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 65.9 percent of his passes. He's taken 26 sacks and has also rushed for 489 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

In Newton's defense, the Patriots haven't surrounded him with many weapons at the skill positions. But Newton is the first to admit that he should be better.

"You have to be your best self when your best self is needed. That's a famous quote from John Wooden that [quarterbacks] coach Jedd [Fisch] has kind of implemented to remind us," he said. "That's the thing that I didn't do enough this year.

And it might mean that Newton is playing elsewhere in 2021.