Cam Newton vs Mac Jones: Bill Belichick trusts veteran QB over rookie in Patriots QB battle

Since the New England Patriots drafted Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in the first round, there has been speculation that Cam Newton will still be the starting quarterback when the season begins.

The Patriots have been vocal that they aren't being easy on the rookie quarterback. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has even admitted that he yells at Jones when he isn't doing something correctly. But so far in pre-season, Mac Jones has shown his physical and mental toughness and the ability to be a starting NFL quarterback.

But that may not be enough to impress the Patriots coaching staff, who still seem keen on starting Newton.

Bill Belichick says that Cam Newton is still the starter for the New England Patriots

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on a radio show early Monday morning that quarterback Cam Newton is the starter Week 1, as of right now. Belichick said:

“The fact that Cam started last year, and he’s here, somebody would have to play better than him. Training camp is all about competition,”

It seems that Belichick and McDaniels feel that Newton is making strides in his second year in the Patriots' offensive system. The New England Patriots were big participants when the free agency market opened in March. The Patriots added offensive weapons such as Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith to the offense, and believe that Cam Newton will benefit from having them as targets.

Cam Newton is a weapon in the red zone with his size and power in the running game, which could show up this morning. Bill Belichick said the red zone will be a big part of practice. pic.twitter.com/iBZxVoDOEi
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 17, 2021

The Patriots haven't indicated whether the team would be willing to move on from Newton to Mac Jones during the season if there are struggles.

But there may be another factor into all of this. On Monday morning, after Belichick said this about Cam Newton being the starting quarterback, there was another headline regarding the quarterback.

Cam Newton will be away from the New England Patriots for at least five days due to a misunderstanding about COVID-19 protocols. Newton reportedly took a COVID-19 test at a location outside of the NFL, and will now have to essentially start from the beginning, as per protocols.

Pats’ QB Cam Newton out five days due to COVID protocols. Pats: “Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility..."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2021

The NFL requires players to be away from the team for at least five days and get additional testing. Newton is reportedly unvaccinated, which means he would have to follow all of the NFL-NFLPA protocols for the unvaccinated.

With Newton out for at least the rest of this week, that would indicate that Mac Jones would get first-team reps, which would give him more time to learn the offense and work with receivers.