Greg Olsen Thinks Patriots Got 'All-Time Greatest Deal' in Cam Newton
If there's one person that knows what the New England Patriots are getting in Cam Newton, it's Greg Olsen.
The veteran tight end played with Newton in Carolina for nine years. During that time the two were one of the greatest QB-TE duos in the NFL.
This offseason, Olsen ended his tenure with the Panthers to play with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. But when he saw what his former QB signed for with New England, his head apparently "popped off."
Well, not really. But you get what he means.
"My head popped off when I saw how much {Cam Newton} signed for," Olsen said on ESPN's First Take Wednesday morning. "It's the all-time greatest deal."
The former Panthers tight end also said that Newton is still the same, top-of-the-league talent he was just a few years ago.
"He is not a different person than he was during his MVP year. He's had a couple injuries, a couple down seasons, I understand what that's like, I've been there myself. So I couldn't be happier for him. New England is going to find out pretty quick just what a special competitor he is."
Olsen also went on to say that despite the celebrations and elaborate pre and postgame outfits, you'll be hard pressed to find a person that is more team-first than Cam Newton.
"The one thing {Bill Belichick} will learn about Cam is no one wants to win more than him, no one is going to come every day and practice harder and train harder and prepare better."
Newton's contract with the six-time Super Bowl champions is for one year, with a minimum base salary of $1.05 million. He received a $550,000 signing bonus, and can earn up to $6.45 million in incentives and per-game roster bonuses, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
It was also reported that Newton's contract also does not include a provision that prevents the Patriots from franchise tagging him in 2021. So not only did the Patriots manage to sign the former MVP at a low cost this offseason, but if Newton balls out next season New England can prevent him from going elsewhere next offseason by tagging him. Doing that would retain Newton at a rate that would likely be cheaper than his rate on the open market.
Newton's contract details are much of what we expected. A low base salary, and he can earn most of his money by hitting incentives. This is a standard contract for someone trying to prove their worth with the Patriots. If Newton plays well, he will get a modest payout for the 2020 season, and New England will get a high level of quarterback play. But if he struggles, the Patriots could cut him if they wanted to and not suffer a significant financial loss.
If Greg Olsen is right and Newton is really the same player he was during his 2015 MVP season, then New England got themselves a steal.
