Patriots reportedly have ‘not shown any interest’ in pursuing ex-Panthers quarterback Cam Newton

The New England Patriots may have lost Tom Brady in free agency, but they are apparently feeling good about the state of their quarterback position heading towards the 2020 season: the team did not draft a new passer to compete against projected starter Jarrett Stidham and veteran backup Brian Hoyer; the only investments made by the team over the weekend came in the form of signing undrafted rookie’s J’Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke.

The Patriots’ plan apparently is to head into the summer with those four quarterbacks competing for spots on the depth chart. After all, two of the better veteran free agents still available on the open market will not find their way to New England: Jameis Winston signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, while the Patriots have also “not shown any interest” in pursuing former Carolina Panthers passer Cam Newton (per Jeff Howe).

Newton entered free agency back in mid-March after the Panthers were unable to trade him. The former league MVP, who struggled with injury over the last two seasons and will be replaced by Teddy Bridgewater moving forward, was one of the higher-profile players to hit the open market this year — bringing a more impressive profile to the table than Winston, for example. As such, he appeared to have been a potential target for the Patriots had they preferred adding more veteran depth to the equation.

That, however, does not appear to be the case: judged by their moves over draft weekend as well as the fact that no outside free agents other than Hoyer — who is on his third stint with the Patriots following his offseason release by the Indianapolis Colts — were brought in, New England seems content with the Stidham-plus-backup(s) approach moving forward.