The New England Patriots released Cam Newton on Tuesday, which means Mac Jones has officially been named the team’s starting quarterback. Fans in Foxboro made it clear that they have been waiting for this moment.
Jones' No. 10 jersey sold out at the Patriots’ official Pro Shop within hours of Newton being released, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The jersey is still available at the team’s online Pro Shop, but there is a note that it is a “special event item” that is not guaranteed to ship before Oct. 8.
Patriots fans knew Jones was going to take over as the team’s starter eventually, but Bill Belichick has for months made it seem like he was leaning toward giving Newton the job. That may have changed after Newton missed practice time last week due to an issue with COVID protocols. The former MVP then played poorly in Sunday night’s preseason game against the New York Giants, completing 2-of-5 passes for 10 yards and an interception. Jones completed 10-of-14 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Jones hasn’t played a regular-season snap yet, but fans in New England are clearly feeling optimistic. The former Alabama star seemed to gain the confidence of his teammates early in the offseason, and he will now have a chance to prove if that was warranted.
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