The internet was set ablaze on Sunday night when the news broke that Cam Newton was signing a one-year deal with the Patriots.
Within the first two hours, the news elicited responses from many of the NFL's elite players on both Twitter and Instagram. We saw comments from Odell Beckham Jr., Melvin Gordon, Christian McCaffrey, Greg Olsen, Cameron Jordan, Jamal Adams, Joe Mixon, Dwayne Haskins, Hall of Famer Warren Moon and even Tom Brady. On top of that, several current Patriots players responded the same way, such as the McCourty Twins, James White, Stephon Gilmore and JoeJuan Williams.
It didn't take long to hear from Newton, either. He posted on his Instagram on Sunday night, writing, "I'm excited as I don't know what right now" and adding that he was "dropping content tomorrow." The content was a video on his YouTube page titled, "Farewell Carolina, Hello New England," which came out on Monday night.
The five-minute video starts with Newton walking on a treadmill on March 17. Here he talks about his exit from Carolina and the reports that he wanted to be traded before the team released him.
"Right now, I'm angry, I'm just ... I feel let down. But at the same time I'm not bitter. I know since the first day I came into this league that this day was going to com," Newton said. "Don't believe the hype. I never once, and I'll say this, never once wanted to leave Carolina. Don't let them make you believe. It was their decision. I stuck with it and I knew that, so I asked for a trade."
The video then shows highlights from Newton's NFL career with the words "Thank you Carolina" showing up on the screen. We then see video of Newton recuperating in the hospital following his foot surgery last season. From Newton in a walking boot to rehabbing, we see some quick highlights of the quarterback's recent journey this offseason.
Then the video comes to Newton in present day after he agreed to a contract with the Patriots.
"Oh, so much on my mind right now, but I'm going to keep this (expletive) brief," Newton said. "I'm at your neck."
We then hear music and see a Patriots logo on the screen with the words "Cam Newton," "New England Patriots" and "2020" appearing on the screen followed by "Let's get to work."
On Tuesday, Julian Edelman posted a photo of him and Newton in a Patriots uniform on social media. The captain was a play on the quarterback's last name "Newton, Massachusetts" with the hashtag "LetsWork."
There's certainly a lot of excitement around the NFL with Newton coming to Foxborough. In Las Vegas, the Patriots odds for this season have also gone up. Caesars Sportsbook increased the Patriots odds from 25-1 to 20-1 to win the Super Bowl and from 10-1 to 9-1 to win the AFC following the addition of Newton. According to BetOnline, the Patriots odds to win the AFC East went from 17/10 to 13/10 in a tie with the Buffalo Bills.
