The New England Patriots have retained the services of quarterback Cam Newton for at least one more season. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN, Newton's one-year, $14-million pact with the Patriots has nearly half of the deal tied to incentives.
The contract is worth up to close to $14 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. About $6 million of the deal is tied to incentives, a source told ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Newton openly expressed his desire to remain in New England and that's exactly what he and the Patriots made happen this off-season. After spending the first nine years of his career with the Carolina Panthers, the 31-year old signed with New England in 2020, in the aftermath of franchise superstar Tom Brady's shocking departure.
The Patriots saw Newton as a viable successor to Brady. However, the 2015 league MVP's first season in New England didn't go the way that he envisioned it to go. For sure, it wasn't up to his standards.
Newton had an underwhelming debut campaign in New England, to say the least. He went 242-of-368 for 2,657 yards passing and recorded just eight touchdowns, a career low, and threw 10 interceptions. The 2011 no. 1 overall pick tested positive for COVID-19 four weeks into the season and never truly recovered from that. He admitted that was one of the reasons why he struggled in his first year with the Patriots, which missed the postseason for the first time in 11 seasons.
Of course, learning Bill Belichick's complicated system takes time and perhaps Year 2 will go much better for the 3-time Pro-Bowler. You'd have to think that Newton will enter the 2021 season with the Patriots carrying some unfinished business.
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