Cam Newton's New Contract Details Revealed

The former Panthers quarterback recently signed to the Patriots

NFL insider Ian Rapaport recently reported the details behind Cam Newton's new contract with the New England Patriots. Even though the 31-year-old quarterback should be making the most money he's ever made at the prime of his career, he suffered back to back injuries that prevented him from being paid at his market value. While the injuries are a factor, the numbers still seem extremely underwhelming to say the least. Take a look at the details in Rapaport's tweet below.

In the 1-year deal for #Patriots QB Cam Newton, the team guaranteed him just $550K — on a $1.05M total base. The definition of low-risk. The reward comes in $700k in per-game rosters bonuses and another $5.75M in incentives. The max is $7.5M in all.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 2, 2020

The incentives make the deal seem a little better, but it's important to remember that Newton was an NFL MVP at one point. It seems likely that he will be the starter for the New England Patriots, yet the money that is guaranteed to him is much lower than expected. According to spotrac.com, Newton was listed as the 19th most valuable quarterback in the NFL with a market value of $15 million per year during free agency. As we saw, Newton accepted a deal that way a lot more team-friendly than anticipated.

Newton posted about the deal on his Instagram page, noting that this decision was not about money at all. This is what he said in the post:

"It's not a lot of things money cannot buy, but amongst the top of that list of things, you would find respect as one of those! This is not about money for me; it's about respect."

Based on everything the former MVP has been saying, Newton seemingly feels disrespected by the league, and rightfully so. From his prolonged exit from Carolina to his extended amount of time spent in free agency, he has something to prove this season. This season will be Newton's "prove it" year with the Patriots, and his mission is to prove his worth by becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league once again.

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