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Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
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Nice post but you could have condensed all that into one sentence: Bill loves Cam.Obviously Cam doesn’t get to decide who starts. But the context of his situation matters. He signed for peanuts late last year, on a prove it deal, and his only competition for the starting role was Stidham and Hoyer. He signed for backup QB money, and still got the starter job.
There were a multitude of reasons, both in and out of his control, why Cam didn’t perform up to par last season. I’m not confident in him as our starter, and would rather see him replaced either by Garoppolo or one of the 1st round QB’s in this year’s draft.
When Cam was re-signed, Garoppolo was not yet available for trade. Lynch was posturing to the media that he wasn’t concerned with Garoppolo’s contract. He also postured at the time that he didn’t anticipate going after a first round QB. We of course now know that was BS, but the point was Garoppolo, at least publicly, still factored in to the 49ers plans and they weren’t parting with him prior to free agency.
Why 49ers don't feel need to restructure Jimmy G contract
Restructuring Garoppolo’s contract would carry its own set of risks, and the 49ers don’t feel they need to rework the QB’s deal at this juncture.www.nbcsports.com
I assume BB did not want to go into free agency with the optics of only Stidham and Dolegala in the QB room. He had to have somebody, and Cam was the most familiar and most affordable option at the time. He’s respected by players around the league. Obviously the money being offered played the biggest role in attracting free agents for the most part, but I think we as fans tend to be more cynical of Cam than the players do.
Cam acknowledged that he sucked last year, but he also put out that he wants to be part of the solution for this year. That means having one more opportunity to prove himself.
Cam Newton: I Want To Be A Part Of Patriots' Solution
Cam Newton wrote a message to Patriot Nation on Instagram. In it, he took accountability for the Patriots being where they are, and he stated that he wants to be a part of the future.boston.cbslocal.com
No question he expected the Pats to try to improve the QB situation around him. But likely in the form of a rookie, who he could mentor this year and take off the training wheels next year, while he then goes into free agency after having been given a second chance to audition for his next contract. Trading for a veteran QB who will be expected to start over him undercuts Cam. Now I don’t care if he’s upset or not about that, but BB has given professional courtesy to veterans in the past in situations like this (see Demaryius Thomas after the Pats went and signed Antonio Brown…I seem to remember that Thomas was traded rather than cut so that his salary was guaranteed, I could be wrong). In this case BB would give Cam the courtesy of seeking a new team who would give him a chance to start. No idea who that team would be, but still.
Of course, as we all know, Garoppolo’s durability issues could lend opportunities for whoever’s holding the clipboard. So if Cam is kept around, it’s probably with that understanding. If he’s not, it could be because he and BB mutually agree he needs to go. Or could be Stidham shows enough improvement in training camp to be kept instead of Cam (and this is assuming mystery rookie QB is also on the team).
And I think it depends on who the rookie QB is. If BB chooses not to take one of the top 5 QB’s in this draft, then we’re looking at a Day 2 or 3 guy who not as much is being invested in. So the urgency to have the kid ready by 2022 may not be there, if Garoppolo is added and proves to be dependable. Let’s say it’s Jamie Newman in the 5th round. You can have Garoppolo/Newton/Newman or Garoppolo/Stidham/Newman. And going into 2022, Garoppolo would still be the presumed starter, since more has been invested in him than in Newman at that point. If the rookie QB is Lance or Fields, now you’ve invested a 1st round pick (plus), with the expectation that he’ll start in 2022 at the latest. Garoppolo is not a Brady or Favre where he can hold off such a high investment for multiple years.
The long and short of it is it’s not so cut and dry that the Pats would invest a lot in two new QB’s on top of rostering Cam at the same time. That’s where I have questions.
I don't get it, never will. But Bill has a ridiculous affection and loyalty to Cam which makes him likely to be our starter even if we draft someone.