Cam Newton has a new home in the NFL, and that certainly makes him a happy camper, but the deal itself has All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman shaking his head. By signing with the New England Patriots, the former league MVP replaces another in Tom Brady’s game, three months after being released from the only organization he knows of in the Carolina Panthers. As a determined Newton, he prepares to try to re-establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and under the tutelage of legendary coach Bill Belichick, but he will do so with a year of testing.
Considering Newton’s resume, Sherman finds the deal disrespectful, to say the least.
“How many previous MVPs in the league have had to sign for the [minimum]? Asking a friend, “the defensive defense of the San Francisco 49ers star appeared on Twitter immediately after the news of the signing.” Simply ridiculous. Transcendent talent and less talented QBs are getting [$15 million – $16 million] one year. Disgusting.”
And you are not alone in this feeling.
“Strongly agree,” said newly retired safety Eric Weddle, in response to Sherman’s post.
Newton’s deal with the Patriots is reportedly worth more than $ 7.5 million by 2020, which contrasts with the two-year, $ 50 million guaranteed deal that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Brady gave Brady. Those two things don’t exactly make an apples-to-apples comparison, though, considering the latter has six Super Bowl rings in his trophy case and chose to retire in free agency rather than being thrown unexpectedly. Also, Sherman is not pointing to Brady’s contract with his comment, or at least not directly, but rather pointing to what he feels is a lower level of quarterback than Newton who is better but earns less.
In many ways, Sherman has a point.
An example is Chase Daniel, a 33-year-old officer who signed a three-year, $ 13.05 million contract, which includes a $ 2.25 million signing bonus, this offseason with the Detroit Lions, the seventh team of his career as a backup with a 2-3 record when asked to start. And then there’s Taysom Hill, the New Orleans Saints’ third-quarter quarterback who signed a two-year contract worth $ 16.3 million ($ 8.15 million average) this offseason to sit behind a backup. freshly signed at Jameis Winston, or the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders are paying Marcus Mariota an average of $ 8.8 million over the next two seasons to play Derek Carr’s second violin.
And so on.
However, few comparisons will come home to that of Teddy Bridgewater, who replaces Newton as the Carolina Panthers franchise quarterback in a three-year deal that averages $ 21 million per season, despite Bridgewater having served as the backing of the Saints for the past two seasons.
While Bridgewater has shown itself to be a capable starter when healthy, it does not have Newton’s resume.
That said, there are also points that contradict Sherman’s line of thought, at least to some degree, as there are many examples throughout NFL history where renowned veterans took less money on the back of their career to have a chance of redemption. And when that redemption opportunity is also tied to what could be a last chance at winning a Super Bowl, it stands to reason that money is less of a problem for a player like Newton, who has won more than $ 121.39 million since he was selected. as the first general election in 2011.
Newton is also coming out of an injury that cost him 14 games in 2019 and considering that he has struggled against a growing list of injuries in recent seasons, questions about his durability certainly entered into contractual conversations with the Patriots and any another club with which he had conversations.
In the end, Sherman is neither completely in or out of the base, because while there are clear examples that Newton is paid less than those he has performed much better than on the way to becoming one of the best players. In Panthers history, he also carries his own set of risks that includes a combined record of 6-10 over the past two seasons. Still, the Patriots are paying him $ 6.45 million more than the league minimum for a player with his time on duty, which feels like a good balance between respect for what he’s done and what it can be when he’s on the go. healthy, and some apprehension about its performance and durability. in recent times (Newton understood this when he signed).
Did they pay poorly? You could argue that, or you could say that other computers are overpaying your backups.
