Quarterback Cam Newton seems excited about his return to the Patriots.
“Run it back!!” Newton wrote on Instagram Friday, the day news of his one-year contract broke.
In a hype video shared on social media, Newton spliced together clips of his arrival in Boston last summer, footage from practice, and highlights from his most recent season. He ended the montage by addressing the camera.
“They’ve been sleeping on Boogie all 2020,” Newton said from outside of Gillette Stadium. “But I refuse to let them sleep on me in 2021.”
Several Patriots showed their excitement following the signing.
Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, wide receiver Damiere Byrd, running back Damien Harris, and running back Sony Michel all celebrated the news via their Instagram stories. As did wide receiver Julian Edelman, who used the same phrase as Newton, “Run it back.”
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Earlier this offseason, captain Devin McCourty also voiced his support of bringing back Newton.
“I’ll start off by saying I wouldn’t mind seeing my guy Cam Newton come back,” McCourty said in January during an episode of the podcast he hosts with his twin brother Jason. “I thought he had a tough year coming in — no offseason, no anything.”
More recently, wide receiver N’Keal Harry expressed a similar sentiment.
“I would absolutely love to have Cam back,” Harry said. “He helped me so much throughout the season, not only on the field with football stuff but with off-the-field stuff, just more about being a professional, about life. He really helped me in all aspects of life last year, so I really do appreciate him for that.”
I LOVE IT HERE‼️‼️‼️ LFG @CameronNewton https://t.co/sWEnNzK2Ke
— Damien Harris (@DHx34) March 12, 2021
Newton seemed popular in the locker room last season, despite the team’s losing record and poor passing attack. Coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels continually stood by Newton, who finished the year with career-lows in passing yards, touchdowns, and attempts.
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“Nothing but respect for Cam and the way he’s approached every day that he’s been here,” Belichick said after the regular-season finale.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @nicolecyang.