Cam Newton has a new NFL home, and that undoubtedly makes him a happy camper, but the deal itself makes all-pro cornerback Richard Sherman shake his head. By signing with the New England Patriots, the league’s former MVP replaced another in retiring Tom Brady – three months after he was released from the only organization he knew at the Carolina Panthers. As a determined Newton, he is ready to re-establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL under the guidance of legendary trainer Bill Belichick, but he will do so with a one-year proof-it deal.
Given Newton’s resume, Sherman finds the deal disrespectful, to say the least.
“How many former league MVPs had to sign for them [minimum]? In search of a friend, “the San Francisco 49ers defender posted on Twitter immediately after the news of the signing.” Simply ridiculous. Get a transcendent talent and less talented QBs [$15 million – $16 million] a year. Disgusting.”
And he is not alone with this feeling.
“Strongly agree,” replied Eric Weddle, who had recently retired, at Sherman’s post.
Newton’s deal with the Patriots is reported to be worth over $ 7.5 million in 2020, in stark contrast to the two-year, fully guaranteed $ 50 million deal Brady received from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . However, these two things are not exactly suitable for a comparison of apples to apples, considering that he has six Super Bowl rings in his trophy case and has chosen to go away by hand rather than being released in an unexpected way. In addition, Sherman does not point, or at least not directly, to Brady’s contract, but rather targets a smaller number of quarterbacks, of whom Newton is better than but less deserving than.
In many ways, Sherman has a point.
One example is Chase Daniel, a 33-year-old journeyman who signed a three-year contract for $ 13.05 million this season – including a $ 2.25 million signing bonus – with the Detroit Lions, his seventh team Careers as a backup of a 2-3 record when prompted to start. And then there’s Taysom Hill, the third quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, who signed a two-year contract worth $ 16.3 million ($ 8.15 million average) this off-season to get behind a newly signed one Backup to sit in Jameis Winston, or the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders will pay Marcus Mariota an average of $ 8.8 million over the next two seasons to play Derek Carr the second violin.
And so on.
Few comparisons will be as successful as that of Teddy Bridgewater, who replaced Newton as Carolina Panthers’ franchise quarterback on a three-year deal that averages $ 21 million a season, although Bridgewater has served as a substitute for Saints for the past two seasons Has.
While Bridgewater has proven to be a good starter when he’s healthy, he doesn’t have Newton’s resume.
That said, there are also points that, at least to some extent, contradict Sherman’s reasoning, as there have been many examples throughout NFL history where well-known veterans at the end of their careers needed less money for a career chance of salvation. And while that redemption shot is linked to a possible final chance of getting a Super Bowl, it makes sense that money is less of a problem for a player like Newton, who has made more than $ 121.39 million since his selection represents as the first choice in 2011.
Newton also sustained an injury that cost him 14 games in 2019. Given that he has struggled with a growing list of injuries in recent years, questions about his durability have undoubtedly started contract negotiations with the patriots and any other club he has had discussions with.
In the end, Sherman is neither entirely on nor off base because there are clear examples of Newton being paid less than the ones he played much better than on the way to becoming one of the best players in Panther history, however he also bears his own risks, which include a combined record of 6 to 10 in the past two seasons. Even so, the Patriots paid him $ 6.45 million more than the league minimum for a player with his tenure, which can prove to be a good balance between respect for what he did and can still be if he is healthy, and some concern about its performance and durability lately (Newton understood this when he signed).
Did you underpay? You could argue that, or you could say that other teams are overpaying their backups.
