Another interesting storyline to follow in the upcoming season is the recent relocation of veteran quarterback Cam Newton to the New England Patriots. After spending the first nine years of his career with the Carolina Panthers, the 2015 NFL MVP was unexpectedly released during the offseason.
Newton was caught in a four-month free agency drought but ultimately found his way to Foxborough. With less than two weeks to go before the Patriots' opening game for the 2020 NFL season, he was officially named as the starting quarterback of the team. A lot of question marks still surround the situation, but we'll attempt to give clarity to some of those by providing our bold projections for Cam Newton in the upcoming season.
3. 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year
Cam Newton has missed all but two games in the 2019 season due to a sustained Lisfranc fracture. However, most people tend to forget that he still pulled off a strong campaign during the prior season back in 2018. He appeared in 14 games and set career-high numbers in passing percentage with 67.5 and completed passes with 320 along with 3,395 passing yards and 24 scored touchdowns.
His performance in the 2018 season showed that he can still contribute at a high level if he can stay free from injury and is put in the right situation. Entering the upcoming season, a healthy and more motivated Cam Newton is looking ready to ball out for the Patriots.
Even with an undermanned roster, the 31-year old can still utilize his rushing game in order to compensate for the lack of weapons around him. In fact, he is still considerably more athletic and versatile than most quarterbacks in the league despite his injury history.
With the type of contract that he currently has (more to be discussed later), expect Newton to aim for certain goals and make his prove-it season a success. Playing with a chip on his shoulder makes the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award a realistic aspiration for the three-time Pro Bowler.
2. Patriots will defend their AFC East title
There is still a silver lining despite the unfortunate turn of events for the Patriots during the offseason. Fortunately for the Patriots, they still find themselves in a relatively weak AFC East division. The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins remain to be rebuilding teams and are far from winning anytime soon.
The most dangerous threat for the Patriots will be the Buffalo Bills who finished with a 10-6 record and sat in second place last season. The Bills also added significant offensive weapons in wide receiver Stefon Diggs and rookie Zack Moss along with breakout candidate Devin Singletary.
However, a young team like the Bills currently lack veteran presence and experience which will certainly be key if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs. Their deficiency in this aspect showed when they took a nail-biting loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2019 NFL Playoffs. On the other hand, the Patriots remain to be a veteran-laden team despite the mass player opt-outs.
Cam Newton himself has previously led the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance and multiple playoff runs. Wide receiver Julian Edelman, the McCourty twins, center David Andrews, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, running back James White, and cornerback Stephon Gilmore are all Super Bowl champions in their own right. They all know what it takes to win – which the Bills should still learn if they want to dethrone the Patriots from the division summit.
Also, what's to fear if you have arguably the game's best tactician and a six-time Super Bowl champion coach on your corner?
1. He will land a contract extension by the end of the season.
Despite being the bonafide player that he is, Newton's injury history in recent seasons played a big part in how his deal with the Patriots was constructed.
He signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots back on July 8, 2020, which included a base salary of $1.05 million with only $550,000 guaranteed. His contract has a maximum value of $7.5 million including incentives and playing time bonuses.
NFL insider Field Yates provided a breakdown of Newton's contract on Twitter back in July:
A full breakdown of Cam Newton’s contract with the Patriots, which includes $3.75M in playing-time incentives and a maximum value of $7.5M if the team wins the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/TGSVEJ3P0Z
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 9, 2020
The incentives are placed in tiers and more action seen on the field will yield more cash for Newton. All bonuses are attainable if he can remain healthy and play to the best of his abilities throughout the season. However, the tougher incentives come in the Pro Bowl appearances, All-Pro selections, and playoff win bonuses.
Unbeknownst to many, Newton's contract was a page taken out of the Tennesee Titans' book. Veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill was acquired via trade with the Miami Dolphins back in the 2019 offseason to serve as a backup for starter Marcus Mariota. He was signed to a similar one-year deal worth $2 million and $4 million of possible incentives.
The circumstances of the 2019 season eventually called for Tannehill's number to which he promptly delivered. He was able to pump life back to his fading career and earned the NFL passer rating leader award, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and his first Pro Bowl appearance last season.
The former Texas A&M standout also led upset victories over contenders New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens during the 2019 NFL Playoffs. He eventually ended up earning almost $5.5 million by the end of the season. The Titans liked what they saw and recently agreed to a $118 million contract extension with Tannehill that guarantees him at least $62 million over the next four years.
Replicating the same success won't be far-fetched for Newton since he finds himself in a more established system and was already named the presumptive Week 1 starter for the Patriots. Everything seems to have been set in place for him already. He would only need to deliver on the gridiron, meet the expectations set for him, and lead the Patriots back to prominence in the upcoming season.
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