The New England Patriots appeared ready to hit the reset button at the quarterback position this season after Tom Brady left Foxborough for Tampa Bay. Brian Hoyer was the veteran of the group, with former fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and Brian Lewerke, an undrafted free agent from this year’s draft class, serving as the remainder of the quarterback room.
There was some thought that the Pats might just kick the can down the road and look to next year’s very solid quarterback class, headlined by Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, for the future of the franchise, but on Sunday, word came that they were taking a swing on former MVP Cam Newton on a one-year, “incentive-laden” contract after the long-time Panthers QB was released earlier this year.
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton has reached agreement on a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the New England Patriots, league sources tell @mortreport and me.
Newton now will step into the mix to try to help replace former Patriots’ QB Tom Brady.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 28, 2020
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the deal is a minimum contract that can become worth up to $7.5 million.
For the #Patriots and Cam Newton, who have quietly worked on this recently, it’s a 1-year deal worth up to $7.5M, source said. https://t.co/YSHLAcRupb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 29, 2020
Newton had yet to find the right situation for him, as he looks to prove he still has plenty left in the tank after injuries derailed his 2019 season. While Newton has been pinged with the “injury-prone” moniker, the 31-year-old had started at least 14 games in every season prior to last year in spite of two shoulder surgeries and the Lisfranc fracture in his foot that ended his season a year ago. The question is where Newton is with the arm and if he’s fully recovered from his foot injury to be the mobile threat that made him so dynamic at the peak of his career.
If he is, Bill Belichick might have found himself a steal in free agency and the Pats may not be out of the running in the AFC East despite losing a first ballot Hall of Famer at QB.