Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are reporting that the Patriots have agreed to a one-year, incentive-laden contract with QB Cam Newton.
Jason La Canfora reports that Newton’s contract with the Patriots is a one-year deal worth $1.05 million and includes just $550,000 guaranteed at signing.
According to La Canfora, Newton can earn $6.45 million by reaching incentives and per-game roster bonuses.
The contract does not include a clause to prevent the Patriots from franchising him in 2021.
Newton joins Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer in the competition for the Patriots’ starting job this summer.
Newton had been on the market for several months with no reported interest. This may have been due in part to the fact that teams were unable to bring free agents in for medical evaluations and Newton is coming off of a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery.
The Patriots maintained that they’re fine with Stidham being their starter, but getting Newton on a low-cost one-year contract seems like a really great move.
Newton, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Panthers back in 2011. He was entering the fifth year of his six-year, $118.47 million contract that includes $60 million guaranteed and set to make base salaries of $16.2 million and $18.6 million over the final two years of the agreement when the Panthers cut him this offseason.
In 2019, Newton appeared in two games for the Panthers, completing 50 out of 89 passes for 572 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed five times for -2 yards.
We had Newton listed in our Top-100 2020 Free Agents list.
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