After seeing Tom Brady dominate under center for the franchise over the past two decades, the New England Patriots are in the midst of a changing of the guard. It was reported earlier this summer that New England has signed fellow former NFL MVP Cam Newton.
The Patriots have now made that official with a hype video.
New England Patriots make Cam Newton signing official
It’s somewhat surprising that Bill Belichick and Co. went in this direction. New England had not been linked to Mr. Newton after his release from the Carolina Panthers during the spring.
Things changed. The market for Newton’s services in free agency were not great. Getting him on the cheap to compete with second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham made sense in that regard.
Cam Newton’s contract is something else
The former No. 1 overall pick will get a base salary of just $1.05 million in 2020. He has per-game active bonuses of $43,750 and a total of $6.5 million more in incentives.
While Newton received some push back for signing such a small deal, he says it’s more about proving himself and respect than the cash. After suffering through multiple injuries over the past two seasons, Newton will now have that chance on the Patriots.
It would not be anywhere near a shock if the former Super Bowl quarterback earned the starting gig over Stidham during training camp and what will be a truncated preseason this summer.