Pats Re-sign Cam Newton to a 1-Year Deal

Seabass

has an efficient neck
SoSH Member
Oct 30, 2004
5,342
Brooklyn
All that matters right now is the guaranteed money -- if it's close to $14M then I don't see how this isn't a mistake.

Cam was very good before he got Covid. If the Pats think he can be the pre-Covid guy again, then maybe this is OK.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,734
Deep inside Muppet Labs
Volin just told me on Twitter that Cam earned about $3.7 million in real money last season once incentives were accounted for etc.

So I am going to guess that $14 is the max he can earn with incentives. I don't see it being likely that the Pats upped his salary to $14 with no incentives.

We'll see. Everyone breathe.
 

axx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
8,126
This is also either a huge indictment on Stidham or a final effort to light a fire under his ass. The job simply isn't going to be handed to him. He needs to earn it, and now has to earn it ahead of a respected vet making good money.
I'm surprised Stidham hasn't been cut yet.
 

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,776
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Volin just told me on Twitter that Cam earned about $3.7 million in real money last season once incentives were accounted for etc.

So I am going to guess that $14 is the max he can earn with incentives. I don't see it being likely that the Pats upped his salary to $14 with no incentives.

We'll see. Everyone breathe.
I want to know the cap hit.
 

Mooch

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,494
Volin just told me on Twitter that Cam earned about $3.7 million in real money last season once incentives were accounted for etc.

So I am going to guess that $14 is the max he can earn with incentives. I don't see it being likely that the Pats upped his salary to $14 with no incentives.

We'll see. Everyone breathe.
Any contract that somehow pays him more money than last year is asinine. How do you give a raise to a guy coming off of a season where he got benched multiple times due to poor play?
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
The Patriots certainly won't be an appealing destination for any FA WR's and TE's now.
Actually, the podcast the Evan Lazar does, he (or his cohost) said they talked to FA guys and said the ONLY FA guys mentioned they would want to play with was Cam.
 

Pesky Pole

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2001
2,467
Phoenixville, PA
So do we focus on Curtis Samuel and Jonnu Smith now? Make sure we have players who fit what Cam can do. Maybe they are thinking of drafting Lance, Mond or Jamie Newman. Cam can mentor those guys for sure. I’m trying to think positive here.
 

Justthetippett

New Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,393
Think this means Jimmy G wasn’t attainable and they would rather draft and develop a guy. I’ll be interested to see if Cam can improve with a more normal offseason and better weapons.
 

RIFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
3,087
Rhode Island
I imagine they kicked the tires on Jimmy G and couldn't get close. Since he wasn't a cap casualty they went ahead and signed Cam. It's too early to say if this is a bad deal.
1. If there is no guaranteed money they can cut him if Jimmy or someone else becomes available. They have slightly more leverage having a quarterback under contract than they had before. I think teams were looking at them as desperate and ripe for the picking.
2. They may be confident that a quarterback of the future will be available to them and they need a 1 year bridge while they learn the system.
3. Maybe they have more info on the status of Cam's shoulder and a rehab plan. I'm really hopeful on this one, because he really should retire if he can't throw better than he did last year.
4. With a full offseason they are going to further develop a ground and pound offense that he can thrive in. That includes some talent upgrades that can work with Cam.
5. Some or all of the above.
 

Sille Skrub

Dope
Dope
SoSH Member
Mar 3, 2004
5,930
Massachusetts
Actually, the podcast the Evan Lazar does, he (or his cohost) said they talked to FA guys and said the ONLY FA guys mentioned they would want to play with was Cam.
This. Cam definitely has great cred around the league with players. He can recruit.

I'm fine with this move if it is highly incentivized and they either draft a Trey Lance type or bring in another solid guy. I also love the freakout it has caused.

I think they are just keeping their options open at this point.
 

Mooch

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,494
So do we focus on Curtis Samuel and Jonnu Smith now? Make sure we have players who fit what Cam can do. Maybe they are thinking of drafting Lance, Mond or Jamie Newman. Cam can mentor those guys for sure. I’m trying to think positive here.
I’d throw Will Fuller into that mix too. He’s a game breaking deep threat guy that this offense sorely needs.
 

Jed Zeppelin

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 23, 2008
51,292
FOURTEEN MILLION??? AFTER LAST SEASON'S PERFORMANCE??????

(yes, I'm yelling)

I mean, I'm ok (I guess) with them bringing him back in a certain capacity, but $14 million after he demonstrated that he's actually....pretty bad?

-deep breaths-

...
...
...

Ok, so trying to look at this glass half-full...

With a bad group of skill players, no real off-season, an underachieving defense, a bunch of key players opting out, having gotten Covid, against one of the hardest schedules in the league, Newton managed to win 7 games. Give him a year under his belt, improved skill players, key defensive players returning, and no Covid, against a much easier schedule (on paper), maybe he can get to 10 wins? Possible?
Serious question, why would any skill player sign here to play in a massively run-heavy offense with a QB who physically struggles with throwing the football?
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
For everyone saying this is too much for a QB like Cam, 21 QBs made more than that last year--including Brissett and Taysom Hill.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,376
Serious question, why would any skill player sign here to play in a massively run-heavy offense with a QB who physically struggles with throwing the football?
The serious answer is: I don't know BUT...players in the NFL seem to LOVE the guy and seem to love playing with him. I mean, I doubt Damien Harris is itching to lose football games, and he just tweeted how pumped he is for this signing. I get that he's a teammate, and he's being supportive of a teammate, and it's different if you're already here versus not being on the team and looking to see if you might want to sign here.

But there does seem to be a ton of love and respect for Cam around the league. So I'm guessing that somehow....they might be good with it. I dunno.
 

Gambler7

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2003
3,752
Actually, the podcast the Evan Lazar does, he (or his cohost) said they talked to FA guys and said the ONLY FA guys mentioned they would want to play with was Cam.
Yes. I actually think this is a move prepping for trying to obtain offensive pieces in free agency next week. You have a former MVP and "name" that players themselves love and want to play with, no matter what it looked like last year. It was either that or you go into free agency with nothing at QB.
 

Seels

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
4,948
NH
fuck that. This signing was stupid last year and is even worse this year. Not at all a fan of this.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,463
But Cam was ranked #30
He really wasn't.
But beyond that, you forget that a whole lot of the guys payed less than this are on rookie deals.
I mean hell Marcus Mariota made over $9M guaranteed to play 1 half against a terrible team and not be much better if at all than Cam.

QBs get paid, Cam was one of the best bargains in the league last year.
 

BlackJack

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 11, 2007
3,456
I'm torn between 'There's still a path to the playoffs' and 'Bill just locked up a slot in the top half of the 2022 draft!'

I'm ok with the move. Early last season Cam was fun to watch. As others have mentioned, the FA QBs are uninspiring, I don't want Jimmy G, and there's no way BB is getting Watson. I'm not ready to discount the impact that COVID had on Cam and the possibility that he has a better season this year with that behind him.
 

8slim

has trust issues
SoSH Member
Nov 6, 2001
24,829
Unreal America
Two things I care about:

1) Does this help us attract free agents?
2) Is there a relatively small cap hit if he needs to be cut?
 

amfox1

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 6, 2003
6,808
The back of your computer
Albert Breer
@AlbertBreer

2m

I'm told this deal is essentially a beefed-up version of last year's incentive-heavy Patriots contract for Cam Newton. Last year's deal was worth up to $7.5 million, with a base value of just $1.05 million, $700K in per-game roster bonuses, and $5.75 million in incentives.
 

Cellar-Door

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
34,463
Of those above him, there were a good number playing on rookie deals that would make more as FA. Cam is getting bottom tier starting QB money.
Honestly he's getting backup who may have to start money more than starter money. Bottom end starters would get more guaranteed and 2 years.
 

jose melendez

Earl of Acie
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 23, 2003
30,975
Geneva, Switzerland
If it's small money and accompanied by drafting a QB, fine. I could see cam taking snaps in some situations. If this is the plan and it's anywhere close to $14 mil in real money, fuck this.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
But Cam was ranked #30
Sure. But he also signed late, had no real off-season with club, and missed time with COVID.

The team *clearly* values him--and that salary paired with a rookie QB isn't that much.
 

Fishercat

Svelte and sexy!
SoSH Member
May 18, 2007
8,266
Manchester, N.H.
No objections here. Pretty clear the team loves him, seems very incentive heavy so if the team is paying him 6, 8, 10, 14 million there's probably surprisingly good results, he has real value if the team drafts a rookie high, he has real value as a swiss army knife backup, and if he does start I'm not convinced that last year's low points will be repeated. It makes a lot of sense regardless of the context although I imagine it makes acquiring a veteran QB less likely.

Like Case Keenum's cap number is 7.3m. Chase Daniel is 5.3m. Mariota is 11.3m. The free agent landscape is really not great unless you want a QB close to 40 who you hope holds together for another year. QB salaries across the NFL are super high. This is a very safe move that doesn't prohibit them from doing much at all.
 
Last edited:

bsj

Renegade Crazed Genius
SoSH Member
Dec 6, 2003
22,776
Central NJ SoSH Chapter
Use that number if you want, but again: This was with Covid and no training camp. Do you think he might be better without Covid and with a training camp?
I’ll concede it’s possible. But issues related to accuracy are worrisome and I don’t think are as tied to those issues as others
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

Throw Momma From the Train
Moderator
SoSH Member
May 20, 2003
35,734
Deep inside Muppet Labs
Cam made $3.7 in real money last year, as a reminder. So if he stinks again he won't earn much more than that and everyone can relax.

Players notice how BB treated Cam during the struggles. Still expressed faith in him, still had him start, ran a few gadget plays for him. Players notice and appreciate that stuff.
 

Dogman

Yukon Cornelius
Moderator
SoSH Member
Mar 19, 2004
15,182
Missoula, MT
I like bringing him back. In addition to an incentive deal and low risk, Cam did manage to win 7 games and was very close in 3 others. With everything said about the team around him, players coming back, and an offseason with the team, I think this is a 10+ win team with Cam. With any of the free agents or Stidham, they don't approach 10 wins.

With that in mind, there are pass catchers out there that want to know who is throwing the ball. Do they sign here without a QB or Stidham? That's a no.

This is a good deal.