Cam Newton Will Start Ahead Of Mac Jones For Patriots Say Bookies

Who will start for the New England Patriots at QB in week 1?

Mac Jones may be the future in New England, but oddsmakers don’t think there’s a chance he’s the present. The Alabama quarterback, thought to be the most NFL ready quarterback prospect not named Trevor Lawrence, is a massive underdog to start Week 1 for the Patriots.

Will Cam Newton start for the New England Patriots in week 1?

Cam Newton started 15 of 16 games for the Patriots last year, and oddsmakers are giving him -286 odds, or an implied 74.1% chance to start on Week 1 of 2021. Meanwhile, Jones is given +300 odds, or an implied 25% chance to start Week 1. Oddsmakers also give Jarrett Stidham an outside shot to start Week 1 at +800, or an implied 11.1% chance.

Will Mac Jones start for the New England Patriots?

Jones is given the worst odds of all five quarterbacks drafted in the first round to start Week 1.  Lawrence and New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson are near guarantees, but even Trey Lance +220 and Justin Fields +160 are given significantly better odds.

Mac Jones was the 5th quarterback on most NFL Draft boards according to reports. He lacks any elite physical tools and doesn’t have the same ceiling that the other quarterbacks have. However, he does have the accuracy and football IQ to become an FL starting QB.

For that to work though, Jones needs to know the Patriots offense inside and out. One offseason likely won’t be enough to learn one of the most complex systems in the NFL. That makes it unlikely that he’ll see the field on Week 1.

New England Patriots starting QB in week 1 odds