Richard Sherman Pointed Out One Particularly Screwed Up Part Of Cam Newton’s Contract With The Patriots

PREVIOUSLY: Patriots Sign Former NFL MVP Cam Newton On A One-Year Incentive-Laden Contract

Cam Newton officially signed with the Patriots yesterday for an “incentive-laden” deal. Newton himself seems enthusiastic at the prospects of the signing:

If you can Magic Eye that stupid font that Cam uses on social media, you’ll confirm that he’s excited.

Niners corner Richard Sherman also chimed in on the signing. And, with him lately using his platform more for a social justice mindset both in the NFL and out, Sherman pointed out one major inequity with Cam Newton’s signing versus some others:

How many former League MVPs have had to sign for the min? (Asking for a friend.) just ridiculous. A transcendent talent and less talented QBs are getting 15/16m a year. Disgusting https://t.co/eZycGL8qkZ

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) June 29, 2020

Former NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz also explained these kinds of contracts recently, and particularly how NFL teams treat them, through the lens of a potential Colin Kaepernick signing:

There’s been a renewed call for NFL teams to sign Kaepernick.
We always discuss Kap signing like every contract is the same. They all mean something different. So what contract structure would be offered and what should Kap accept? https://t.co/r8skfVbjHV pic.twitter.com/XcbWyU3aE8

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) June 23, 2020

This may be the cynic in me, but that is something that occurred to me when I saw the news alert on Cam Newton’s signing yesterday. You know whom the Patriots are bullish on? Jarrett Stidham. You know whom they’ve invested time in developing as well as spent a fourth-round pick on? Jarrett Stidham. You know who’s also been building rapport with his teammates all off-season? Jarrett Stidham.

If Stidham is a disaster and that’s why the Patriots signed Cam, it could be all null and void. But, as it looks currently, it seems like something of a stacked deck against Cam Newton in this pandemic-affected offseason. If Cam “doesn’t work out” or “doesn’t look the same”, the Patriots can simply claim that Jarrett Stidham beat him out in the competition and cut Newton at little to no cost. That adds to Stidham’s credibility in the locker room, builds his confidence, and allows them to squeeze more value out of their own former draft pick. It also certainly won’t hurt Stidham, styled as a mobile quarterback, to learn from one of the best running QBs in recent history even in a temporary situation.

I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm to see Cam Newton play again after he’s mostly lost his last two seasons to mounting injuries. But would it shock me if he’s set up as something of an underpaid “fall guy” for the Pats to play the younger and unproven talent they seemingly jettisoned Tom Brady for in Jarrett Stidham? Not so much. We’ll see if Richard Sherman’s concerns come to fruition when football (hopefully) gets back to work this summer.

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