The Cam Newton signing is exactly what the Patriots needed. Don’t listen to anything different.

The New England Patriots offense was not good in 2020. And Cam Newton was at the center of that offense. To a degree, those two sentences don’t jibe with the headline above.

But if the Patriots have hope of improving in free agency, which opens Wednesday, they need a quarterback. They need a plan, which they can relay to pending free agents. And given what’s available, Newton is the best possible option — for now.

The Patriots signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $14 million, per multiple reports, but because of incentive structure, the contract is unlikely to yield anywhere near that much in earnings for Newton, per The Athletic. So New England played it safe by re-signing Newton on a team-friendly deal. Even though he played some of his worst football in 2020, the Patriots can use Newton as a frontman.

Bill Belichick, who is expected to be uncharacteristically aggressive in free agency with roughly $60 million in cap space, likely will pitch something along these lines …

“Cam didn’t get the help he deserved in 2020. He dealt with a shortened offseason due to COVID-19. He even contracted the virus and missed time. Our receivers and tight ends weren’t ready — and that’s largely because we overextended to build an offense around Tom Brady during his final years. And, by the way, it worked. You may have heard: I’ve won six Super Bowls. But the bad season in 2020, that was my fault, not Cam’s. We’re going to win a seventh. In 2021. And you, Kenny Golladay/Hunter Henry/Jonnu Smith/Curtis Samuel/Corey Davis, are going to help us. Cam is going to be a totally different player — in part because of you. Let’s do this.”

*Belichick extends contract offer*

To a large degree, that’s a fictionalized narrative. But I believe it’s a narrative Belichick can sell.

The alternative? The Patriots can sign Andy Dalton or Tyrod Taylor. But there’s no pretending what those guys can be. They are what they are: backups. New England also could go into the draft without a quarterback plan — but that’s an impossible sales pitch for top free agents.

“Oh, your quarterback, if you signed here? Yeah. We’re working on it.”

And that would be the end of the Zoom call. Newton is so much better than the alternatives. It’s not even close.

There’s still hope for Newton as a starting-caliber quarterback, even if that hope is fading. There’s also a chance that he flops, again. And reports indicate the Patriots are ready to add another quarterback to compete with Newton. That’s smart. That’s necessary.

I think the Patriots still will go after Jimmy Garoppolo, especially if the 49ers draft a quarterback or trade for Sam Darnold. But that would happen in April. Free agency is next week. And the Patriots can’t afford to wait — and whiff on free agents at receiver and tight end. They need a quarterback to front the franchise at a time when they intend to persuade elite pass-catchers to join the team. They need Newton, a man with endless swag, motivation and work ethic. He’s the perfect recruiter off the field — even after a bad year on the field.

The Patriots have a plan. They appear organized. That’s what they need before free agency opens. That is their only hope of surrounding Newton (or whomever else ends up starting at QB in 2021) with talent.