Cam Newton Officially Signs Contract With Patriots, Jersey Number Revealed

Cam Newton is officially a member of the New England Patriots. On Wednesday, Newton signed his contract with the Patriots after being cut by the Carolina Panthers back in March. The contract is for one year and worth up to $7.5 million based on incentives. The Patriots also announced Newton will wear the No. 1 jersey when the team hits the field this fall.

Newton, 31, now has an opportunity to have a bounce-back season after suffering from a foot injury in 2019, which led to him missing 14 games. Many fans and experts are wondering why Newton signed a small contract since he’s a former NFL MVP. However, Newton made it very clear signing with the Patriots is not about the money.

“It’s not a lot of things money cannot buy, but amongst the top of that list of things, you wild respect as one of those,” Newton wrote on Instagram. This is not about money for me, it’s about respect.” Newton will look to be the Patriots starting QB after Tom Brady left the team in March to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Auburn alum will be competing against Jarrett Stidham, a player the Patriots drafted in the fourth round last year.

Patriots fans will miss Brady but are excited about the addition of Newton. He leaves the Panthers as the team’s all-time leading passer with 29,041 yards, 182 touchdowns, and 108 interceptions. Newton also had 4,806 rushing yards, which is the third-most in NFL history for a quarterback. He also holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season with 14 in 2011. That was one of the big reasons Newton was the winner of Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, the highlight of Newton’s career was in 2015 when he won the MVP award and led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance. In that season, Newton threw for 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Before Newton was cut by the Panthers, the team was looking to trade him to the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Chargers. Matt Rhule was hired as the head coach and Teddy Bridgewater was signed to a three-year contract to be the starting QB. Newton had one-year left on his contract with the Panthers, but if things go well in New England, he could get one more big contract before his career comes to an end.