Cam Newton is on the comeback trail – and money isn’t his top priority
Cam Newton’s contract with the New England Patriots has been a hot topic since he signed with the team earlier this week, and on Thursday, more details were released about the former MVP’s latest deal.
In the 1-year deal for #Patriots QB Cam Newton, the team guaranteed him just $550K — on a $1.05M total base. The definition of low-risk. The reward comes in $700k in per-game rosters bonuses and another $5.75M in incentives. The max is $7.5M in all.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 2, 2020
Newton’s New England contract represents a drastic drop off from his previous NFL deals. When he arrived in Carolina as a rookie in 2011, he received a fully-guaranteed 4-year, $22 million deal, before signing a 5-year, $103.8 million contract extension with the Panthers in 2015.
But in a Thursday Instagram post, Newton said he isn’t concerned about money, as he looks to revive his career in New England this upcoming season.
“It’s not a lot of things money cannot buy, but amongst the top of that list of things, you would find respect as one of those!! This is not about money for me; it’s about respect.”
This season, there will be 23 quarterbacks guaranteed to earn more than Newton, and another 22 who have the potential to rake in more in 2o2o.
Cam Newton’s expected cap number ($1.1375m) is lower than five THIRD-string quarterbacks:
Dolphins Josh Rosen $2.17m
Raiders Nathan Peterman $2.133m
Eagles Nate Sudfeld $2m
Bucs Ryan Griffin $1.645m
Giants Cooper Rush $1.25m— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) July 2, 2020
When it was revealed that Newton would sign a 1-year deal with the Patriots on Sunday, San Francisco 49ers star cornerback Richard Sherman sounded off on Twitter.
“How many former league MVPs have had to sign for the [minimum]? Asking for a friend. Just ridiculous. A transcendent talent, and less talented QBs are getting [$15 million – $16 million] a year. Disgusting.”
How many former League MVPs have had to sign for the min? (Asking for a friend.) just ridiculous. A transcendent talent and less talented QBs are getting 15/16m a year. Disgusting https://t.co/eZycGL8qkZ
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) June 29, 2020
For context, former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was released earlier this offseason before being picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, presumably to sit behind their QB1 Dak Prescott. Dalton’s 1-year contract is worth $3 million guaranteed, with incentives worth up to $7 million.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, similar to Sherman, was none too thrilled with Newton’s contract in New England.
“These are the kind of things that people have said and have done to contribute to the diminished cache of Cam Newton. Again, due to his injuries and stuff like that, I would perfectly understand if he had a 1-year deal at about $20 million like Teddy Bridgewater or something along those lines. But … you’re Cam Newton. You’re 31 years of age. Your upside is tremendous if you’re healthy. The last time we saw him healthy, he was 6-2 completing 67.9% of his passes, and because of injuries, even though he showed that he’s coming back healthy, he had to settle for less than $8 million. I think it’s incredibly egregious and I think Richard Sherman makes a very, very valid and salient point.”
In addition, reports suggest that Newton is not guaranteed to start over second-year QB Jarrett Stidham.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, an AFC East head coach isn’t worried about Cam creating problems for his defense come the fall because he doesn’t believe Newton will be on the field as much as Stidham.
I spoke over text w/ an AFC East Head Coach on Cam Newton and the Patriots. “I think they are going to keep 3 QBs. Use Cam Newton perhaps as the wild card. I actually don’t see him starting Week 1 in the offense…I know one thing for a fact: the #Patriots love Jarrett Stidham”
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) July 1, 2020
Although Newton is a former league MVP, over the past two seasons, he’s struggled with injury, which has seemingly affected his play.
He missed 16 of the Panthers’ last 32 games, and in the games he did play, he put together a 6-10 record while throwing for 3,967 yards, 24 TDs and 14 INTs.
Cam Newton has played in just 16 games — losing eight straight — over the past two seasons due to multiple injuries. Will the former MVP, and first-time free agent, ever recapture his game changer form? https://t.co/yroD9KMeWQ pic.twitter.com/lZaxdDMcLa
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) April 13, 2020
Newton’s steady decline due to his list of injuries is the reason Skip Bayless believes there is an exorbitant amount of pressure on Cam this season, and his performance in New England will make or break his career.
“He just got thrown into the pressure cooker that is trying to replace the 20-year GOAT in Foxborough, Massachusetts. And he’s trying to do it while given only a 1-year deal on low pay … after he just spent four injury plagued years – performance plagued years – in Carolina, and the Panthers just cut him. This is sink or swim for Cam Newton. You could even go so far as to say he is playing for his NFL life this year.”
.@RealSkipBayless on whether Cam Newton or Tom Brady has more pressure on them this season:
“This isn’t even close. Cam has 10x the pressure on him that Brady does. You could go so far as to say Cam is playing for his NFL life this year.” pic.twitter.com/KLcWlFPnRj
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 1, 2020
However, former NFL head coach Rex Ryan took a different approach, maintaining that a healthy Newton has always proven to be successful in the NFL, and that there is no reason to think that this upcoming season will be any different.
“Cam Week 1 will be the starter if he’s healthy … I’m sure they want to give Jarrett Stidham every opportunity to start. He’s been in there, in the system. He’s worked with Josh McDaniels. He’s coming off years where he watched Tom Brady operate and has seen how they do things the Patriot way – he’s been in their culture. But again, we are talking about Cam Newton, and if he is healthy, Jarrett Stidham and Cam are on two different playing fields. So Week 1, Week 2, I don’t care when it is. When Bill Belichick identifies that and Cam Newton has a grasp of everything they need to do and Cam Newton is healthy based off training camp and when they can get together, he is going to be the starter.”
Despite the reservations from some regarding Newton’s ability to come in and command the New England system from Day 1, Cam seems to be more determined than ever, not only evidenced by his Instagram, but also by the work he’s already begun to put in with Patriots wide receiver Mohamed Sanu in Los Angeles this week.
Mohamed Sanu and Cam Newton getting together for a workout in LA today. @Patriots #Patriots @nflnetwork @AroundTheNFL pic.twitter.com/w6gwt5ovps
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) July 1, 2020
New England is a lot different than Los Angeles, but if Cam looks like this when he arrives back East, we could be in for a comeback story for the ages.
