Cam Newton was connected to the Patriots all offseason, and though New England long insisted it was comfortable going into the 2020 season with second-year pro Jarrett Stidham under center, the club ultimately could not resist adding the 2015 MVP on a modest one-year pact.
It has been reported that the deal has a base value of just $1.05MM ($550K guaranteed), with $6.45MM in available incentives that could push the total to $7.5MM. Of those incentives, we knew that $700K came in the form of per-game roster bonuses. Field Yates of ESPN.com passes along the full breakdown, via Twitter:
- $43,750 per game in which Newton is active, up to $700K, as noted above;
- 13% of team snaps: $250K; 20%: $500K; 30%: $750K; 40%: $1MM; 50%: $1.25MM; 60%: $1.5MM (increases to $1.75MM if Patriots qualify for playoffs); 70%: $1.75MM ($2.25MM with playoffs); 80%: $2MM ($3MM with playoffs); 90%: $2.25MM ($3.75MM with playoffs);
- Pro Bowl bonus: $500K;
- All-Pro bonus: $500K;
- $250K for each playoff win in which Newton plays at least 50% of the team’s snaps, up to a maximum of $1MM
So if Newton is healthy, a 2020 payout of about $4MM or so seems well within reach, and a healthy Newton will make the Pats a strong candidate to make the playoffs, so he could bump that number a bit higher with a postseason run. But it will take a lot of work to max out the contract’s value, and as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe observes (via Twitter), all of Newton’s incentives are tied to staying healthy and team performance. There are no individual stat incentives like those that appeared in Tom Brady’s contract in recent years.
Still, the Patriots are probably the best landing spot that Newton could have asked for to revive his career. The defense is strong, the division is winnable, and while the skill position talent could be better, it should be enough for Newton to work with. He can still be hit with the franchise tag in 2021 if he performs well, but a franchise tender would be a nice raise over what he’s getting this year, and a hefty multi-year extension would be in play as well.
Well they’re not making the playoffs with that schedule, so no extra 2 million Cam, sorry.
They can sleepwalk their way to 4-2 in that division (Jets are terrible, should get one each off the Bills and Dolphins even though they’re not bad). Would just need to go 5-5 against the rest of the league and they’re (most likely) in. Belichick hasn’t won fewer than 9 games in 20 years. I’d say there’s a good chance they’re in.
Rory- I believe you meant to reference the Boston Globe rather than “Glove.” Otherwise, keep up the good work
You didn’t hear they kicked Volin off the Globe? He had to start his own publication. It’s supposed to be all about where to buy luxury hand warmers in Massachusetts, but he can’t kick his habit of writing about the Patriots from time to time.
Lol…I guess I’ve been put in my place
Do people have nothing better to do than take the time to spell and grammar check? Seriously the gentlemen put together a strong argument, most likely the phones spell check caused the error. But hey if doing that type of things makes you feel important and special knock yourself out. Just FYI, 99% of people who read comments like yours take people like you as clowns with low expectations of yourself.
Dude wtf are you talking about? I was politely pointing out a spelling mistake I happened to catch before more people read it. I promise you there was no malicious intent in my comment
There was nothing wrong with his comment. It was respectful. Certain people have a much more visceral reaction to grammar being corrected than is necessary. I’ll bet most people who do news or releases would rather know about an error than let it stay up.
This seems like an excellent way for an “aging veteran” to re-establish his value. A contract written in this way could become the template for future similar signings.
All contracts should be based on what you do, not what the agent thinks you may do.
Contracts are agreed upon by the player, the agent, and the owner. They’re not just based on what the agent thinks a player will do. They’re based also on what the owner thinks the player will do, and then agent and owner negotiate from there.
I’m not sure why you think that an agent solely determines a contract’s rate.
Agents decide what players are paid? When?
The contract was written in that way because:
1) The Patriots had crap for cap space and
2) Newton had no one else courting him.
I sincerely doubt that this is the wave of the future …