It's not over, but it's not looking good.
Yes, the Patriots would love to have Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback, and there's still a chance that could happen. The Patriots, as always, have left themselves enough flexibility to pounce on any possible situation that could win them games in 2021.
And make no mistake, the best-case scenario for that is for Garoppolo to land here after the quarterback dominoes finally fall — no offense, Cam Newton. This isn't show-friends, it's show business. And the Patriots are in the business of winning games after a 7-9 season and with Bill Belichick chasing Don Shula in Belichick's twilight.
If you think it can't happen because of some misguided thoughts of a locker room split and whatnot, forget that. The core leaders of the Patriots have not forgotten how good Garoppolo was here at the end of his first stint (when they privately raved about him), including those six mostly glorious quarters during Tom Brady's suspension. They know what happened last year. They know Newton last played great in 2015, and parts of '18. If Garoppolo lands here (or, say, Marcus Mariota), all the players will know the deal. Belichick found better. They are trying to win a title. Newton can either deal with it and keep working — it's not like Garoppolo's Brady or Brett Favre in the Ironman department — or could easily be gone.
But with each passing day, the odds of Garoppolo winding up here dwindle. As someone once told me about Belichick — and this was when I was reporting Rob Gronkowski could still be traded in 2018 ... when the Patriots eventually tried to trade him to the Lions — is that once Belichick starts to contemplate life without you, he starts to warm to being without that player. "He imagines you gone," he said. Often that deals with a player and a high cap number. In this case, the threat is real that at some point in time, Belichick is going to say, "Forget the Niners," and move on to Newton and the draft.
As of today, the leader in the clubhouse is for Newton to start the season, with a drafted quarterback — and that player could be taken with a trade up, or after the first round. Really, anything can happen. The Patriots aren't close to being done with their work on the quarterbacks, and it could take some time.
Let's just go with the notion that Newton is going to be a factor, one way or the other.
He now has enormous pressure on him. The Patriots went out and got two stud young tight ends, and two rising receivers in addition to his beloved nicknames on the roster. The offensive line should be one of the best in football. The Patriots have two good running backs, and are on the lookout for another. The defense should be stout with much-improved run defense, the return of Dont'a Hightower, and multiple pieces in the secondary.
The Patriots are primed and ready to go ... at every position but quarterback. Newton is the biggest question mark on this team now.
And it's not just about the Patriots. This is Newton's career on the line. If he can't perform among the league's best quarterbacks in his second season in the system, with a much better team around him, then Newton's finished as a starting quarterback as he enters the season at age 32.
And Newton is listening to all the chatter.
"I’ve been hearing it. I’ve been hearing it, all right?" Newton said in an Instagram video. "And now, I’m letting you know that I’m retaliating. Not at you — because of you.
"I’ve been hearing a lot of reports that’s going around that’s stating the obvious about, ‘Oh, the Patriots are getting this. Oh, the Patriots are getting that. Now, the main question is, what is Cam gonna do?' Haha, that’s funny. I would not have wanted it any other way. I’m used to this feeling. I’m not new to this feeling.”
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