Not getting vaccinated opened door for Patriots to release Cam Newton

Cam Newton not getting the COVID-19 vaccine opened the door for the New England Patriots to release the former NFL MVP and name Mac Jones the starting quarterback.

The Patriots released Cam Newton in a surprising move on Tuesday morning and named first round pick Mac Jones as the starting quarterback.

Jones seized the quarterback job when Newton was placed on the reserve/COVID list and missed five days. Jones took advantage of his reps with the first-team offense and showed Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels that he could be trusted with the job.

What was once a close competition early in the spring and first week or two of training camp became clear that Jones was ready for the opportunity and Newton blew his chance at perhaps his last chance at starting in the NFL.

If Cam Newton was vaccinated, Patriots may not have released him

If only Newton wasn’t unvaccinated, he wouldn’t have missed a week of practice while in the middle of competing for his job, he may still be on the Patriots roster and not unemployed.

It’s a costly mistake for Newton who made a personal choice not to get vaccinated and not he’s living with the consequences of his personal decision. His personal decision has benefitted Jones who won’t have to bide his time on the bench.

Now, it’s up to the rest of the NFL whether they want to make the personal choice to sign a past-his-prime quarterback who isn’t vaccinated and will not have had the benefit of training camp and an offseason to learn the offense and his teammates.

It’s very possible Newton doesn’t play in the NFL this season and his career may be over.