The New England Patriots couldn’t have handled the departure from Tom Brady in a more graceful manner. On paper, Bill Belichick seems to have moved on from Brady in a masterful way, letting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers overpay for Brady’s final years, which could feature a precipitous decline. Meanwhile, Belichick is happy to see if he can prove Cam Newton, 33, is not experiencing a precipitous decline.
The difference between the Bucs’ bet on Brady and the Patriots’ bet on Newton? New England signed Newton to a one-year deal worth between $1.05 million and $7.5 million, depending on how many bonuses the quarterback hits in his contract. Brady, meanwhile, will make $50 million — fully guaranteed — over the next two years. Of course, Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time. But Newton has made a Super Bowl appearance and won NFL MVP.
He’s going to make for a fascinating storyline this training camp. Here are 10 takeaways from Newton signing with the Patriots.
1. The price was right on Newton — but that they probably still like what he can offer
The Patriots may have valued Newton, at most, in the same way that the Oakland Raiders valued Marcus Mariota ($7.5 million in 2020) or the way that the Miami Dolphins valued Ryan Fitzpatrick $7 million in 2020). Essentially, these three teams have given fringe money: They don’t know if the player will be the starter or if he’ll be the back. They don’t know if he’ll be able to retain the starter job, in the event he wins it.
But I think the Patriots are more excited to work with Newton than the contract lets on. Belichick has long praised Newton’s playing style. The coach knows as well as anyone how hard the quarterback can be to contain when he’s at his best. Belichick knows exactly how special Newton can be under an offensive mind like Josh McDaniels — and during a time in the NFL when it’s never been easier to be a passer.