National Football League

Cam Newton Signs With The Patriots

Updated Jul. 17, 2020 4:11 p.m. ET

Cam Newton has a new home in New England — and Bill Belichick presumably has his next quarterback.

The one-year deal is reportedly for the league minimum of $1.05 million, but Newton can earn up to $7.5 million based on performance.

Last year, Newton made $16.7 million in the final year of his 5-year contract.

So the Patriots upgrade their QB depth chart with a heavily-motivated former NFL MVP and no long-term financial risk. Classic Bill Belichick.

Newton was released by the Carolina Panthers on March 24, while the Patriots of course parted ways with Tom Brady when he signed with the Buccaneers this offseason.

About two hours after the news broke, Newton shared his reaction on his Instagram Story:

"I'm excited as I don't know what right now!! All praise to God!! Dropping content tomorrow!! I hope you're ready!! 😤 #LETSgoPATS"

So what does the move mean for Newton and the Patriots? Jay Glazer calls it a "very Patriots-like deal":

"How many times have we seen Bill Belichick take an older player and reignite them, and put more gas in their tank? ... We've seen it over, and over, and over again. Wouldn't be surprised he does it with Cam Newton."

Colin Cowherd doesn't believe the former No. 1 pick is the future in New England, but does think this season should be fun: "Who's not going to watch that? Who's not going to watch Belichick and Cam Newton?"

Nick Wright says Newton should be a significant upgrade — not just on the Patriots' current roster quarterbacks, but on Brady's performance from last year:

In fact, Wright explained back in April why he believes Newton and Belichick should be a good fit together:

"Could Jarrett Stidham run a very, very poor man's version of Tom Brady's offense? Sure. But if I'm the Patriots, I would rather run a different style of offense — that, by the way, is not that different from what they like to do, which is run the ball, with a far more talented quarterback in Cam Newton."

Newton's new teammates, like the McCourty twins and Stephon Gilmore, seemed excited to have their new QB on board.

One of Newton's former teammates, three-time Pro Bowler Greg Olsen, was thrilled for his old quarterback:

And a familiar foe was quick to react to the news — and poke a little fun:

Newton missed all but two games in 2019 due to a Lisfranc fracture and was placed on injured reserve in November.

He finished 2018 with a 94.2 quarterback rating (17th in the NFL), completing 67.9% of his passes for 24 TDs and 286 passing yards per game. According to FOX Bet, Newton is now +400 to win Comeback Player of the Year.

The Patriots were +2500 to win the championship this season before the move, with their odds moving to +1600 following Newton's signing.

Newton's deal wasn't the only news involving the Patriots on Sunday night, however. The NFL also announced its discipline for New England filming the sideline during a Bengals game last season:

So what are your thoughts on the move? Let us know over on Twitter at @NFLonFOX.

This is a developing story.