Stephon Gilmore has been placed by the New England Patriots on the Physically Unable to Perform List, which means he will miss at least the first six games of the season.

Gilmore is recovering from quad surgery at the end of last season.

The New England Patriots have released Cam Newton.

Mac Jones will begin the season as the starting quarterback for the Patriots.

Bill Belichick isn't ready to name a starting quarterback as the New England Patriots prepare to open the season on Sept. 12 against the Miami Dolphins.

"No, we still have a lot of decisions to make," Belichick said after Sunday's preseason finale against the New York Giants.

Cam Newton started on Sunday and played two series, all with the starters. Mac Jones relieved him and played deep into the third quarter, all with the backups.

Sony Michel was at practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, a day after coming to the team in a trade with the New England Patriots.

"I was surprised," Michel said about being traded. "I would assume that most people, when they're traded, they're surprised a little bit."

The Patriots used the 31st overall pick on the running back in 2018.

"Last two days kind of just been, the best way I can put it is football terminology, sudden change," Michel said. "It's like, something suddenly happens and you just got to get ready to kind of execute. Not much time could be wasted. Just kind of got to get up, get ready to go and kind of get adjusted, acclimated with the new adjustment."

Cam Newton returned to the New England Patriots facility Thursday and practiced after missing three straight days due to a COVID-19 protocol "misunderstanding," with Bill Belichick saying Newton "didn't violate team rules."

Belichick mostly referred to the team's statement -- which said that the club approved Newton leaving the New England region for a medical appointment -- when asked about how the "misunderstanding" occurred.

"I don't really have anything to add. We released a statement, and I think that covered it as thoroughly as we can without getting into a lengthy thing. So we'll just leave it at that," Belichick said.

The Atlanta Falcons famously lost Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots despite having a 25-point lead in the second half.

During a recent interview with 12 News in Phoenix, Arizona Cardinals defensive back Malcolm Butler was asked if he had talked to teammate Robert Alford, formerly of the Falcons, at all about the Super Bowl comeback and not only have the two talked about it, but Alford apparently told Butler that the Falcons were so confident that they were going to win that they were already celebrating at halftime.

"I talked to him about it, I asked him if he wanted his ring back," Butler said. "He told me a story, he said he was in the locker room at halftime, he told me he was about to pop a bottle and things like that, it was so funny. And then we came back and beat them."

Although the Falcons would blow a 28-3 lead, that wasn't the score at halftime. At that point in the game, the score was just 21-3.

"I'm just imagining him at halftime," Butler said. "Robert, he's a funny guy, got a lot of energy, tells a lot of jokes, and he told me at halftime they were in there dancing and hooraying and then we came back and beat them, so I think that was pretty fun."

The Los Angeles Rams have acquired Sony Michel in a trade with the New England Patriots.

New England received two conditional draft picks -- one in the fifth round and another in the sixth -- in the deal.

Michel fills an immediate need for the Rams, who will be without Cam Akers after he tore his right Achilles tendon while working out before training camp.

Cam Newton will remain away from the New England Patriots until Thursday due to a "misunderstanding" of COVID-19 tests "conducted away from NFL facilities."

Newton's absence comes after he traveled to a Patriots-approved medical appointment that required him to leave the New England region.

"He received daily Covid tests, which were all negative. Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, and as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility," the statement read.

Cam Newton said Monday that Bill Belichick hasn't told him he'll start the regular-season opener Sept. 12 against the Miami Dolphins.

"No. You know he hasn't said that. So for you to just ask that question, you know, it is what it is," Newton said. "Every single day, I'm coming out here with the anticipation to just get better, and that's the only thing that I can do. So I can control that."

Newton was asked the question because while Belichick has repeated multiple times that Newton is the team's starting quarterback, he also said on the night the team drafted Alabama's Mac Jones in the first round: "Whatever time Mac is ready to challenge and compete, then we'll see how that goes."