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Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has found a new home — it’s with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter Sunday evening.
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.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 28, 2020
Newton now will step into the mix to try to help replace former Patriots’ QB Tom Brady.
Here are the contract details, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
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, 31, spent nine years with the Panthers before the team released him this past offseason. During that span, he compiled more than 29,000 yards through the air, more than 4,800 on the ground and 240 total touchdowns. He was named the AP NFL MVP in 2015.
Shortly after word on Newton broke, so did this news — New England was penalized for a filming incident that occurred back in Week 14 last season. The Patriots’ in-house production crew was caught taping the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline one week before the Patriots played the Bengals.
NFL has handed down these penalties to the Patriots for their television crew filming the Bengals-Browns game in December, sources tell @MikeReiss:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 29, 2020
$1.1 million in club fines.
Loss of 2021 third-round pick.
Patriots’ TV crews not allowed to shoot games during 2020 season.
Why are these two stories connected?
If Newton plays well enough in 2020 as a one-year starter for the Patriots and leaves in free agency for a lucrative deal, that means New England would receive a compensatory third-rounder in 2022 to help make up for the penalty.
Regardless of that note, Newton is a Patriot, and his competition in the quarterback room for the starting position is Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. The Chiefs play the Patriots Week 4 at Arrowhead Stadium at 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead Time.
The likely QB matchup will be Newton vs. Patrick Mahomes.