Just a few months ago, Cam Newton didn't have a job title. Now, he has two.
The New England Patriots starting quarterback announced the release of a new documentary series called "86 Nights" in a hype video released on his Instagram page Sunday morning. Newton is credited as the executive producer. The news comes just hours before his first start for the Patriots in their season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
The show's title is a reference to the amount of time Newton went without a contract, after he parted ways with the Carolina Panthers for the first time in eight seasons.
In an interview for The Bigger Picture, a show organized by Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Newtown mentioned that the title is an ode to a mixtape from the rapper Future. As he waited for NFL teams to reach out to him, he was in disbelief that so many other quarterbacks were offered contracts.
"I had to count the days that I was unemployed, and it was 86 nights," Newton said to Beckham. "I'm going through it and I'm like 'OK, early on, people are going and getting signed and I'm looking at it like, you can't say I'm old, because people older than me are getting signed. Then I'm like, you can't say it's about injury, because people who are more injured than me are getting signed.'"
The video opens with commentary about Newton's two shoulder injuries and foot injury. It ends with a clip of the exit sign for Foxboro, and a close up of the quarterback in the car.
Newton was signed by the Patriots in June, as the roster replacement for Tom Brady. His 2018 season was cut short in November, after he was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Newton was able to come back in time for the start of the 2019 season, but was soon forced off the field by a fractured foot. In March, the Panthers released Newton after failing to find a suitable trade partner.
The Patriots take on the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro at 1 p.m.
