Quarterback Cam Newton agreed to a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen. The incentive-laden deal has a maximum value of $ 7.5 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Newton’s deal does not include a provision preventing New England from applying a 2021 franchise tag on the league’s most valuable former player, according to Jason La Canfora, a CBS NFL member. On Wednesday, La Canfora reported that Newton’s base salary for the 2020 season is $ 1.05 million with $ 550,000 guaranteed at the firm. Newton can earn up to $ 6.45 million more in playlist bonuses / incentives.
Newton, who was released by the Carolina Panthers on March 24, will join a Patriots quarterback ward that currently includes Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and rookies Brian Lewerke and J’Mar Smith. The Patriots did not recruit a quarterback despite losing future Hall of Famer and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earlier this offseason.
Earlier this month, Newton and the Patriots were reported to have had some contact shortly after Newton became a free agent. Speaking to reporters on May 7, coach Bill Belichick did not rule out the possibility of the Patriots signing a veteran quarterback. “You never know what will happen in the future,” he said, “but we feel like we have four good players there.”
Cam Newton has joined the Patriots and there is a lot to go over. Will Brinson and Pick Six Podcast Superfriends dive into everything related to New England signing the ex-MVP; Listen below and be sure to subscribe here for daily NFL bonuses.
Newton, who was the former No. 1 overall pick, has a career record of 71-59-1 as a starting quarterback. He has thrown for 29,041 yards (completing 59.6% of his passes) with 182 touchdowns and 108 interceptions. One of the most mobile quarterbacks in league history, Newton ran for 4,806 yards and 58 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. In 2015, Newton became the first quarterback in league history to throw 35 touchdowns and run for 10 scores in the same season.
CBS Sports data analyst Stephen Oh analyzed the numbers and said that with Newton, the Patriots have made the leap to having the third-best chance of winning the AFC and are the favorites to win the AFC East. Here’s what Oh’s numbers look like in other areas when comparing the Pats to Stidham in the quarterback versus Newton:
|
With Stidham |
7.8 |
48.8% |
28.2% |
43.4% |
2.2% |
0.9% |
|
With newton |
9.3 |
58.1% |
55.0% |
72.7% |
7.9% |
3.8% |
|
Difference |
1.5 |
9.4% |
26.8% |
29.3% |
5.7% |
2.9% |
Newton is coming off a foot injury that kept him out of the game for most of the 2019 season. The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner won the NFL MVP honors in 2015 after helping the Panthers win 15 games in the regular season on the way to his appearance in Super Bowl 50.
In the past few months, Newton, 31, has regularly posted updates of his workouts on social media. Newton’s most recent training video was released Saturday, the day before news came out that he agreed to strike a deal with the Patriots.
