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The New England Patriots released veteran quarterback Cam Newton on Tuesday morning, as first reported by Jim McBride of the Boston Globe, marking the official start of the Mac Jones era under center.
Newton, 32, had re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal featuring $3.5 million guaranteed in March after starting 15 games as a team captain last season. The former NFL MVP started all three of August’s preseason games, completing 66.7 percent of his passes and staying in for a combined seven offensive drives.
The next drives belong to Jones with the regular season set to open against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 12 at Gillette Stadium.
The No. 15 overall pick out of Alabama finished the summer having gone 36-of-52 passing for 389 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
The QB room in New England also includes 13-year pro Brian Hoyer while 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham remains on physically unable to perform.
“I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities to play, and I can improve on everything that I want to improve on,” Jones said following Sunday’s preseason finale against the New York Giants. “I think just learning from Hoyer, Cam, Jarrett, anybody I can and just listening to [offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels] and his coaching. There’s a lot of work to do. But I think I’ve made progress. Honestly the only thing that matters is today. And then tomorrow, I’ll focus on tomorrow. I think the past is the past and we’re kind of moving onto the new season here.”
The NFL’s 53-man roster deadline is set for 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.