Getty Cam Newton
It’s official.
Cam Newton is coming back to the New England Patriots in 2021, per Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.
BREAKING: The #Patriots are re-signing QB Cam Newton to a one-year deal, according to a league source.
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Cam Newton Contract Details
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cam Newton is returning to the Patriots on another incentive-laden, one-year deal. This one will be worth up to $14 million.
Comp update: Patriots are finalizing a 1-year deal worth close to $14 million for Cam Newton to return to New England, per source.
Schefter also noted the deal doesn’t prevent the Patriots from pursuing another QB this offseason.
Twitter Reaction to Newton’s New Contract
After news of Newton’s signing spread, here is some of the reaction from people in the NFL’s Twitterverse. There were actually a few more positives than you might expect.
*whispers* carson wentz was as bad, if not worse, than cam newton last year and a team that’s a quarterback away from real contention gave up assets for him.
also, i’m sure this deal will let the pats drop cam if they don’t like what they see in camp.
Cam Newton’s deal is heavy on incentives. He’ll get to $14M if everything goes perfectly. Otherwise, it’ll be much less than that, according to a source.
You’d have to believe, part of the reason Newton is coming back for a second season with the Patriots is because of how beloved he was by his teammates. This reaction from running back Damien Harris is one example.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman followed up the news by simply posting Nelly’s hype track, “Here Comes the Boom.”
Here is more context from Edelman, who spoke with USA Today’s Henry McKenna:
Spoke to Julian Edelman earlier this winter. Here’s what he said when I asked whether he wanted Cam Newton to return.
“I love Cam. Cam’s an awesome guy and the circumstances this year were crazy tough. The guy barely had a camp. … I would love to see Cam (back).”
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think it’s a good look for Newton to head back to the Patriots, but his take seems to assume the supporting cast will be the same as it was last year.
Stephen A. explains why he thinks Cam Newton’s new $14M, one-year contract with the Patriots is not a good look for him. (Via @FirstTake)
The Undisputed’s Shannon Sharpe has a different take.
He believes the Patriots can go back to the playoffs with Newton. I’ll remind you, one of these men played in the NFL, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the other didn’t, and is not.
.@ShannonSharpe on Cam Newton re-signing with the Patriots:
“Coach Belichick saw enough in Cam before he got Covid to say: ‘I want to see it again.’ Cam a year removed from surgery and in this system will be better. They can be a playoff team.”
Here are other responses, including a take from now-former quarterback coach Jedd Fisch.
Me & @cameronnewton are ready:
So Happy to See this!
@CameronNewton
is a special person and a great player. Can’t wait to watch him excel this season!
Newton’s former teammate with the Carolina Panthers, Greg Olsen, who recently announced his retirement, shouted the 2015 NFL MVP out in this reaction post.
Of course, there were some negative responses. You’d have to expect them, and quite honestly, they were pretty funny.
“I was going to stay sober today but that is out the window. I’m absolutely livid.”
Boston sports radio callers are taking the Cam Newton signing well.
Tom Brady contract news to the Cam Newton contract news
Cam Newton sure showed that kid.
Tom Brady vs Cam Newton at Gillette. 80% Bucs fans.
The suspicion’s been growing that Cam would be back. But why now?
Because you can’t point to an empty chair as your QB answer when trying to sell your team to new employees.
And, truth be told, the team didn’t think he was really THAT bad in 2020.
Why Re-Signing Newton Was Smart
Let’s face it when you look at what’s available in the trade and free-agent markets. There weren’t a ton of better and realistic options.
We can mention potential deals for Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, but the Patriots weren’t likely to acquire either of them in reality.
If the Houston Texans are going to trade Watson, the Patriots don’t have the draft assets nor the young quarterback to offer that the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have in their haul of picks and young talent.
Wilson seems pretty locked on going to the Chicago Bears as discussed by Mike Florio and Chris Simms of NBC Sports, or nowhere at all, and the Patriots were never one of the teams he was open to being traded to once the drama started in Seattle, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Russell Wilson has told the Seahawks he wants to play in Seattle but, if a trade were considered, the only teams he would go to are the Cowboys, Saints, Raiders and Bears, his agent Mark Rodgers said to ESPN.
Those two guys are the best of the potentially available and were seemingly out of the Patriots’ reach. We can look at a deal for Jimmy Garoppolo, which the Patriots reportedly checked on before signing Newton, per CLNS Evan Lazar.
Apparently, the price was too high, or there was a reluctance to make a move. Thus, the Patriots brought back the quarterback they liked a lot more than most media members and the fans who weren’t willing to cut him any slack for playing in a new offense with almost no training camp, COVID-19, and a sub-par group of offensive weapons.
The Patriots will almost certainly draft a quarterback this year, and they may still bring in a veteran to compete with Newton and likely back him up, but they are expecting far more from the 2021 season than they saw in 2020.