Cam Newton will finally get his mega-deal from the Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton is a polarizing figure among NFL quarterbacks, but it’s not like the Carolina Panthers had any choice but to pay him.
Newton was very close on Monday morning to an agreement on a five-year contract extension that was reportedly worth more than $100 million, according to multiple reports including the Charlotte Observer. Newton was slated to make $14.67 million in the last year of his rookie deal this year. His new contract will run through 2020.
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Newton has been fantastic at times in his four NFL seasons, since the former Heisman Trophy winner was the No. 1 overall pick out of Auburn. He had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history, throwing for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns and running for 706 yards with 14 scores on the ground. He shed the ridiculous “can’t win” label in 2013 when he took the Panthers to a 12-4 record and an NFC South title. The Panthers repeated as division champs last year, although the division was historically bad and Newton’s play backslid a little bit. He was hampered by injuries, most notably after he was involved in a scary car accident just outside the team’s facility last December.
Despite the fact that Newton’s fourth season might have been his worst — injuries certainly played a role, as did a terrible offensive line and a cast of receivers that is still being rebuilt — the Panthers were not going to let him go. That would be virtually unprecedented in NFL history for a player at Newton’s age, with his accomplishments. The deal was a little tricky since Newton’s camp had been adamant against signing a pay-as-you-go deal like Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had. But one way or another it was going to get done, despite any noise to the contrary.
The question now is what’s next for Newton and the Panthers. He still needs to work on the finer points of his game, especially consistency with his accuracy and play from the pocket. But he has been wildly productive with a supporting cast that has been among the worst in the league. The Panthers have rarely done much to help him at offensive line or receiver, though drafting receiver Kelvin Benjamin in the first round last year was a nice step. Still, lack of help or not, he set career lows in passing yards, touchdown passes, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, yards per passing attempt, yards per rushing attempt and quarterback rating last year. That’s not what the Panthers wanted to see right before they had to invest heavily in him. But, ankle surgery last offseason and then two transverse process fractures in his back after the car accident were significant reasons. The word has been that Newton is healthy going into this season.
Newton better be healthy and rebound to the levels of his first three seasons, because the Panthers will be investing in him for five more years. Not that they had any real choice in the matter, but now it’s time for Newton to take an even bigger step forward as a quarterback.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
