Patriots lose less than $ 5 million in space by re-signing Cam Newton

Shortly after news broke that the New England Patriots had re-signed starting quarterback Cam Newton to a one-year contract, initial details of the deal began to spin. The first similar report had the deal valued at nearly $ 14 million, but there was no additional information to determine the hit, warranties and other important details.

Look at those as reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, it becomes clear that the $ 14 million is far from the actual impact of Newton’s transaction. In fact, his contract will fetch the Patriots’ books with only $ 4.91 million – the 31st highest cap in the league among quarterbacks.

Newton’s transaction has a base value of $ 5 million and can be divided as follows:

• $ 2 million sign up bonus
• $ 1.5 million basic salary
• $ 1.5 million roster bonuses per game
• $ 9 million incentives

Although Newton’s signing bonus and base salary are fully guaranteed and therefore count towards the Patriots’ salary cap, his bonuses per game are not yet completely in the team’s books: Newton missed one game in 2020 after testing positive for the Coronavirus. has, which means that only $ 1.41 million of the $ 1.5 million bonus – the value of 15 games – is considered likely to be earned this season.

That 16th game, meanwhile, falls into the “probably not earned” category: the $ 93,750 worth it will only count in the Patriots’ books if Newton reaches the required parameter. This means that only if he is active 16 games during the regular 2020 season, the New England salary cap should include the $ 93,750 bonus.

His additional incentives worth $ 9 million, meanwhile, could not affect the Patriots’ 2021 cap – it will only become relevant for 2022 if hit.

What do those incentives look like? Although no full details are available, it is likely to be related to individual honors such as Pro Bowl, All-Pro or MVP selections and playoffs. Newton did not score either in 2020, which means the bonuses are unlikely to be earned either.

For Newton to reach the full value of his contract, he must therefore play at an MVP level while leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory. His deal still gives New England solid value for a respected veteran with substantial starting experience.

By adding Newton’s contract to the comparison (but not that of Trent Brown or Justin Bethel), the Patriots get a salary cap of $ 60.37 million. according to Miguel Benzan.