The details on Cam Newton‘s contract are in. And they’re not all that favorable for the former MVP. Newton’s one-year deal guarantees him just $550K with a base salary of $1.05MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Newton’s Deal Does Not Prevent 2021 Franchise Tag]
Newton can earn up to $5.75MM in incentives and $700K in per game roster bonuses, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) adds, bringing the contract’s total potential value to ~$7.5MM. The deal does not include a clause restricting the Patriots’ ability to franchise tag him either, so Newton’s post-2020 upside is somewhat limited.
The Browns also kicked the tires on Newton, but the Patriots were the only team to offer him a deal this offseason. Not long ago, Newton was one of the game’s most electrifying players and one of the league’s most dangerous threats under center. Three years and three surgeries later, he’s gone from an exclamation point to a question mark. Newton has missed 16 of his last 18 games and no one knows exactly what he has to offer in 2020.
Any way you slice it, Newton’s deal is as low-risk/high-reward as it gets. Newton, meanwhile, will have an opportunity to silence the critics and reclaim his status as one of the game’s best quarterbacks.
Hope it works out for him.
Over or Under 5 regular season starts?
Way over. I think he plays the whole season
Over. It’s a safe contract for NE but why bring him in if not to start. His presence alone puts a lot of pressure on Stidham. If you truly wanted to see what Stidham is you stick with Hoyer as the number 2 or also bring a less threatening backup.
I think he lasts 3 games in a starting role.
Under
under, he is for, in case of emergency break glass.
Over 8 starts, but I’m not right about everything I say.
If he doesn’t start the season, it’ll be for health concerns or injury, not effectiveness I think. We’ll see how much Cam’s shoulder has healed. In my own opinion, I’d like to see him get back to who he was.
Over. I’m thinking he starts 12 games.
How many games into the season before Coach Bill has to say “I have no comment” (or something of that nature) regarding a comment Newton made in an interview?
Over or Under 1 game?
I’m not sure Newton will be on the podium or be interviewed much as he will likely just be a back up. One good thing, without a preseason he’s got less chance to mouth off. This is a total nothing to lose for NE and everything to lose for him.
Mouth off?
Newton wanted the opportunity to start. Otherwise, he would have waited for an injury. So I bet he starts.
Well, Cam has gotten much better about that in the past couple of years. He’s still Cam, of course, but he has matured significantly in comparison to who he was five years ago when he was MVP.
For that money, Cam would have been better off being 2nd string, get some reps, and look next year.
“would have” ? he is 2nd string.
How do you figure he would get a better deal next year by sitting the bench this season? The fact that nobody gave him a contract offer show how much other teams had faith in his health. The only way he will get a decent offer next season is if he can show he can still play at a reasonable level. His injury list is what frightens teams
He isn’t any strong. He is a camp arm. A way for the Pats D to prep for the Ravens. Look at the contract details. He isn’t going to play a single game in the regular season unless it’s with a different team.
Any string**
Why would the Pats sign Cam for one year when they could of possibly get Trevor Lawrence for the next decade or more
Their defense is way too good to be bad enough for a top pick. Cam is not going to make them that much better unless he is taking PEDs that are helping him recover from all the injuries he has had.
Patriots don’t want to “Tank For Trevor” or “Lose For Lawrence.” It’s not in their style. Better for them to make something out of nothing… yet again.
Lol, the backup comments are killing me. If he’s healthy, he’s starting. If he’s not healthy, he’s not backing anyone up obviously. But to think Stidham is gonna beat out a healthy Cam is dumb. Jarrett F’n Stidham is nowhere near the player Cam is.
I agree. I can’t imagine the Pats signing him without hoping he will be the #1. Newton does not seem like he’d be too happy as a backup at this point, especially to an unproven player, so I can’t imagine it would result in an ideal locker room situation if he wasn’t at least given equal opportunity to win the job.
1000% agree
Some of these comments are so idiotic it makes me wonder how dumb the ppl posting them actually are. Cam was signed to start (if healthy) if ppl haven’t seen he’s in killer shape (doesn’t mean he’s healthy enough to be a QB1 I know) but Bill was not about to tank n put the pressure of replacing TB12 on a guy whose thrown what 4 passes? That’s asking for a disaster. Adding Cam allows the pats to put In stidham if the pats have a huge lead in the 4th to give him reps and rest Cam. It allows mcdaniels to run wild with the playbook adding a running QB it forces defenses worrying about coverage knowing he could take off at any point for the first. Y’all are so used to Brady’s offense n style you don’t see the potential here with a healthy Cam. Understand this is going to be a huge change for the dynasty but him healthy I can’t not see them winning the East again.
Poor guy, not even paying him enough for some cold weather outfits.