There is no quarterback controversy in New England. At least not yet.

Bill Belichick said Friday that veteran Cam Newton remains his starter — despite the Patriots drafting Alabama’s Mac Jones in the first round on Thursday night and the continued presence of former Tom Brady heir apparent Jarrett Stidham on the depth chart.

“Cam’s our quarterback,” the head coach told reporters. “Whatever time Jarrett or Mac are ready to challenge him and compete, we’ll see how that goes. Right now, for Mac, he’s got a lot of learning in front of him, and I know he’s very anxious to get going with it and getting started.”

Newton, who turns 32 on May 11, re-signed with the club on a one-year deal in March after going 7-8 and passing for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first season with New England in 2020.

Belichick was asked how long Newton would remain the starter.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Somebody will have to play better than he does.”

Jones, 22, had been projected to go as high as No. 3 in the draft after passing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship last season. The Patriots landed him with the 15th pick.

Stidham, 24, was drafted in the fourth round out of Auburn in 2019. He has completed 24 of 48 passes for 270 yards with two touchdowns and four picks in eight games (zero starts) over the past two seasons.

–Field Level Media