At the end of the last practice of Senior Bowl week, Quarterback Jamie Newman showed up after Mac Jones’ allotted media time for a bonus question and answer session. During the questioning, Newman was asked by LAFB’s Ian Van Roy if the Los Angeles Rams had contacted him, to which he responded that the Rams had “asked for my phone number.”
What does this mean for the Los Angeles Rams, who are on the heels of the bombshell that quarterback Jared Goff would have an open competition with John Wolford later in the year? It could mean quite a lot if one puts the full quote into the context of the moment for the Rams.
Breaking: Rams Briefly Contacted Quarterback Jamie Newman
What Could This Mean?
“They asked for a phone number and that was it,” said Jamie Newman. The way he said it, he implied that the Rams didn’t really have any interest in him. However, the Rams asking for a phone number could mean a few things.
First, it could mean that the Rams are simply covering their bases in case they have something come up where they need a quarterback due to an unforeseen circumstance. Second, it could mean that the Rams have been meaning to interview Newman but have simply not gotten around to it. Lastly, it could mean that General Manager Les Snead and the Rams are laying the groundwork for and rolling out a scouting campaign on all of the quarterbacks but have allocated resources on each quarterback depending on their level of interest.
The fact that the Rams are showing even a little interest in Newman could mean they are showing a lot of interest in other quarterbacks. In order to understand why this is the most likely scenario, one must know more about Jamie Newman.
Jamie Newman’s Story
Newman is from Wake Forest where he only threw a few passes in 2017, threw only 141 times in 2018, and eventually threw 26 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 2019. However, he did not play in 2020 after transferring to Georgia due to Coronavirus concerns.
Therefore, Newman’s availability becomes an instant issue before even getting to the Senior Bowl practices. Over the final two practices at Senior Bowl week, Newman threw two interceptions, had a slew of overthrows, a fumble, and a dropped snap that he eventually saved but might have been picked in the NFL.
Putting It Together
To put it frankly, Newman has given NFL teams plenty of red flags in how his last year has gone. He missed last season by choice and has looked rough thus far when he did decide to come back to play. If the Los Angeles Rams can look at that and decide to get Newman’s contact information, imagine how interested they could be in premium talents like Mac Jones and possibly Kellen Mond. Put simply, where there is smoke, there is fire. Of course, it could be a campfire, or it could be a forest fire. Only time can tell for certain.[nectar_video_player_self_hosted video_mp4=”https://www.lafbnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Jaime-Newman.mp4″ el_aspect=”43″ align=”center” autoplay=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none”]
Jamie Newman Says 32 Teams – Rams Included?
Interestingly, when Newman was answering another reporter’s question, he emphasized that he had interviewed with all 32 NFL teams. This would logically include the Rams. However, that number could simply be him rounding up in order to seem like there is more interest around the league than there is in reality. If that is not the case, Newman might have let slip that he talked to the Rams regarding more than just giving a telephone number.
“…as time goes on, the Rams seem to be more and more interested in… finding a new quarterback…”
It would not be a surprise if it turned out that the Rams were trying to keep their interest in Newman quiet in order to make the Rams seem less desperate to escape from Jared Goff’s massive contract so they could possibly trade Goff for better draft picks (the more desperate a team is to drop a player, the less they’ll get).
At the end of the day, it seems that as time goes on, the Rams seem to be more and more interested in both finding a new quarterback and also finding one through the NFL Draft.