New England woke up to an internet uproar on Friday, as the Patriots agreed to a one-year deal with Cam Newton. After the worst season of his career, and statistically being arguably the worst quarterback in ALL of football, Cam Newton is back.
I can’t say I was shocked, but I was mildly surprised that Newton was brought back so early in the offseason. I wrote about a potential Cam Newton return a couple of weeks ago, and certainly believed that there was a chance that it would become a reality.
But, I was expecting Newton to be the fallback plan. When absolutely nothing came to fruition, I assumed Newton would be someone the Patriots could turn to. I mean with all the quarterback mobility thus far, I didn’t think it was crazy for a veteran to shake free at the right price.
As twitter and other social media platforms exploded with mainly frustration and confusion surrounding the Newton news, the heat got turned up when ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the money involved in Cam Newton’s contract.
According to Schefter, the deal was worth, “close to $14 million.”
Now, seeing that tweet certainly caught me by surprise. Following the money is so important in the NFL, and that dollar amount indicated that the Patriots were all-in on Newton in 2021.
A contract worth that amount of money seemed like a sure sign that Cam Newton would be the starting quarterback in 2021. The Patriots certainly can still draft a quarterback in the early rounds, or bring in a veteran for cheaper money. But, if the Patriots had agreed to pay Newton a $14 million base salary, it would certainly take them out of the potential Jimmy Garoppolo sweepstakes, and any other veteran quarterback that potentially shakes free later in the offseason.
But, it wasn’t until NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo had the exact terms of Cam Newton’s contract, which made much more sense. Garafolo reported that Newton’s contract had a $5 million base value. Newton received a $2 million signing bonus, and an additional $1.5 million was guaranteed. The rest of the contract is tied to incentives, based on a playoff appearance, a Pro Bowl appearance, being an All-Pro, winning the MVP award, and the winning the Super Bowl MVP award.
Cam Newton's 5 million base value ranks as the 29th highest in the NFL, and his $4.9 million cap hit ranks as the 31st highest in the NFL amongst quarterbacks.
It’s not an accident that the terms of Cam Newton’s contract were so quickly leaked. The Patriots wanted that aspect to be understood…
So, what exactly does this all mean for the Patriots?
The Patriots clearly were not a fan of the upcoming class of free agent quarterbacks. A list that was notably comprised of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor, Mitchell Trubisky, Alex Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, and Andy Dalton. It’s not impossible that the Patriots could bring in any of these guys once free agency starts, but if the Patriots felt that someone on this list was an upgrade over Newton, they would not have resigned Newton so quickly. They would have signed one of these quarterbacks on day one of free agency, if they felt so strong about any of them.
I think the timing of this agreement is significant. Last year, Cam Newton signed with the Patriots on June 28th. But, this year, the Patriots wasted no time, and Newton was taken care of before free agency even started.
Last year, Newton did not have a full offseason, and it could be one of the MANY reasons why Newton struggled. I’m not buying it, but maybe the Patriots have talked themselves into that possibility. Along with the fact that Newton dealt with COVID-19, and had a below-average group of skill position players at his disposal. Again, I’m not buying this notion, but maybe, the Patriots believe that these were factors of Newton’s poor 2020 campaign.
It seems like the Patriots were determined to have some sort of quarterback depth chart before the start of free agency. The Patriots did not have a quarterback on their roster who has ever started a game in the NFL, and that could have been an issue once free agency heated up. The Patriots will be in the market for skill position players, and when it comes to signing those types of players, the quarterback matters. Now, more than ever, skill position players seem to be cognitive of the quarterback when signing with a new team.
Obviously, the financial component is more important, but this has become a trend in recent years. I am not saying by any means that there are receivers knocking on the door to play with Cam Newton. But, Newton is well-respected across the league, and it gives the Patriots some structure at the quarterback position. When Bill Belichick is sitting at the table with someone like Hunter Henry, he can at least point to Cam Newton who has had success in this league. It’s tough to sell your franchise to skill position players, when the cupboard is completely empty. Unless they want to significantly overpay for these types of players, and history shows that’s not their philosophy. Again, not saying this could make a difference, but having some semblance of a quarterback depth chart during free agency is important.
I do think that the Patriots were all-in on acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo before the start of free agency, but reports suggest that the 49ers are not going to move on from Garoppolo, unless they can upgrade at the quarterback position. So, unless San Francisco can get their hands on someone like Deshaun Watson or Sam Darnold, they aren’t moving on from Garoppolo. But, if that were to even happen, it could be around the draft or later in the offseason, and the Patriots could not afford to wait that long. If someone like Garoppolo were to leak free out of San Francisco in June, then I expect the Patriots to be suitors, the Cam Newton contract will not prevent them from adding him.
It’s tough to fathom that the Patriots would actually bring Cam Newton back, but it has become a reality. I’m sure Belichick values him as a leader in the locker room, and he’s well-liked by his teammates. But, at this point in his career, he just is not good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL anymore. His arm strength has deteriorated, his body can’t hold up, it’s just too obvious.
It’s only March 13th, the offseason has barely started, so jumping to conclusions about this signing seems premature. I don’t think the story is written on their 2021 quarterback room. Whether it’s addressed through the draft, through trade or through one of the free agents, Newton will not be handed the starting job like last season.
Like it or hate it, Cam Newton is back in New England and could be given an opportunity to run it back in year two.