Patriots’ Super Bowl Odds Lengthen to +3700 After Releasing Cam Newton, Mac Jones Set to Start
- The New England Patriots released veteran quarterback Cam Newton on Tuesday
- Rookie first-round draft pick Mac Jones will start at QB for the Pats
- New England’s Super Bowl odds faded from +2900 to +3700
The Cam Newton experiment ended abruptly on Tuesday. In turn, the chances of the New England Patriots winning the 2022 Super Bowl immediately grew longer.
By releasing Newton and handing the reins of the team to rookie Mac Jones, the Patriots are entrusting their future to the quarterback they selected 15th overall out of Alabama in the 2021 NFL Draft. At the same time, the Pats put their immediate future into a state of flux.
Oddsmakers moved the betting line for the Patriots in the Super Bowl odds to +3700. New England was being offered at average odds of +2900 prior to the Newton news breaking.
2022 NFL Super Bowl Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +500 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +650 |
| Buffalo Bills | +1200 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1200 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1400 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1400 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +1500 |
| Cleveland Browns | +1600 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +2000 |
| Tennessee Titans | +2500 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +3000 |
| New Orleans Saints | +3000 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +3000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +3200 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +3300 |
| New England Patriots | +3700 |
All odds as of August 31th at FanDuel.
New England finished 7-9 during the 2020 NFL season. Newton started 15 games and went 7-8.
Newton Couldn’t Keep Up With Jones
At the outset of training camp and throughout the preseason, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick emphasized that Newton was his starting QB. Someone would have to beat him out of the job.
Jones did just that. During preseason play, the rookie from Alabama was 36-of-52 for 389 yards. Jones threw for one touchdown and no interceptions. He ended up playing 107 snaps, the most of any Patriots QB.
Breaking: The Patriots have released QB Cam Newton, as first reported by The Boston Globe and confirmed by @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/a1sO5djFT0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 31, 2021
Newton started every preseason game but only played 39 snaps. He finished preseason play 14-of-21 for 162 yards. He tossed for one touchdown and was picked off once.
Newton didn’t do himself any favors when he missed five days of practice for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols. Reports are that the team wasn’t impressed at all by this mishap. Newton also missed a game last season due to COVID.
Rookie QBs and Patriots a Bad Mix
Historically, rookie QBs starting for the Patriots has not proven to be the most effective combination. Jones will be the eighth rookie to start under center for the team in franchise history. He’ll be the third to start a season opener.
The last time that New England went with a first-year QB to open the season was Drew Bledsoe in 1993. He was 5-7 as a rookie starter. In 1971, the Patriots selected QB Jim Plunkett first overall in the NFL Draft out of Stanford. He started all 14 games as the Patriots went 6-8.
The little kid talking to Cam Newton in this Play 60 commercial can now be officially identified as Mac Jones: pic.twitter.com/UskOThV3LA
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) August 31, 2021
Other rookies to start at QB for New England include Tommy Hodson (0-6 in 1990), Tony Eason (2-2 in 1983), Steve Grogan (1-6 in 1975) and Tom Sherman (1-6 in 1968).
Jones will be the second rookie to start for Belichick during his New England tenure. In 2016, Jacoby Brissett was 1-1 after replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo was filling in for the suspended Tom Brady.
Belichick started just one other rookie during his NFL head coaching career. Eric Zeier went 1-3 for Belichick’s Cleveland Browns in 1995.
Little Movement in Divisional Odds
Prior to Tuesday’s news, New England was the co-second betting choice to win the AFC East in the NFL Divisional odds. Both the Pats and Miami Dolphins were at +350. The defending division champ Buffalo Bills are the -160 odds-on choice to repeat.
Ages of AFC East starting QBs:
Josh Allen, 25
Tua, 23
Zach Wilson, 22
Mac Jones, 22It's a new era.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 31, 2021
The departure of Newton and elevation of Jones did little to alter those numbers. FanDuel showed a slight uptick the Patriots’ betting line to +360. Both DraftKings and BetMGM are holding firm at +350.
Don’t Be Jonesing Over Pats
Heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, most football personnel people were expressing the opinion that Jones, fresh off a national championship win with the Crimson Tide, was the most NFL-ready of a deep crop of draft-eligible QBs.
That doesn’t mean he’s ready to lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl title.
Week 4: Bucs @ Patriots in Primetime.
Tom Brady and Mac Jones will square off. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/fHAaFCuLgS
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) August 31, 2021
Save your money. New England wasn’t going to be good enough to win the Super Bowl this season with Newton at QB. The Patriots aren’t going to be winning the Super Bowl with Jones at QB, either.
It’s as simple as that.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
