AROUND THENFL
For Newton, joining Patriots is about regaining respect, and he’ll have plenty of padding with the league’s best defence last year ... Brown flirts with Seahawks ... Young returns
When details of Cam Newton’s contract with the New England Patriots emerged on Thursday, the 2015 MVP was quick to defend his status as the 54th highest paid quarterback (cap dollars, according to spotrac.com) in the NFL.
“This is not about money for me,” Newton said on Instagram. “It’s about respect.”
Maybe, but it’s also about putting oneself in the best possible position to succeed.
Newton, whose most recently expired contact with the Carolina Panthers was a five-year deal worth $103.8 million, can make no more than $7.5 million with the Patriots. Of his $1.05 base salary, just $550,000 is fully guaranteed. He has an active roster bonus that pays him $43,750 per game; a total of $700,000 if he suits up for all 16 games. There is also $5.75 million of unspecified incentives on his table.
It’s important to note, even though it’s just a one oneyear deal, the Patriots reserve the right to tag Newton in 2021. So for any other longterm, big money deal he hopes to sign, the 31-year-old former first-overall pick might have to wait until 2022.
There is a general belief that respect will again belong to Newton, who missed 14 games last season because of a Lisfranc injury and is 0-8 in his last eight starts. But as confident as he comes across, the fact that he chose to sign with New England can also be viewed as taking the safest route.
Had he gambled and waited until the season gets going, Newton would have surely been in demand when quarterbacks start falling to injury — which does happen every year. At some point he would have been offered a much more lucrative contract.
But with the Patriots, he hops on board for the start of training camp, and he competes for the starter’s job with Jarrett Stidham, a young player New England professes to have much faith in but also a kid who has thrown just four NFL passes.
And rather than risk the team in need of an emergency replacement is the Jacksonville Jaguars or Washington Redskins, he joins
Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels and a perennial contender that just last season had the best defence in the entire league.
In other words, Newton should get plenty of well-padded opportunity to prove he is as healthy as he looks on his social media workout videos, and his best shot at gaining back that respect he so craves.
SECOND AND LONG
Hoping to further demonstrate “a genuine commitment to the public, players, and coaches and that players voices continue to be heard,” the NFL plans to play “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”, which is commonly known as the black national anthem, before “The Star Spangled Banner” at every season opener, according to Jason Reid of ESPN … Can you imagine what the addition of Antonio Brown would do for the Seattle Seahawks? That’s exactly what A.B. himself wants you to do. The former Pittsburgh Steelers superstar receiver posted a video of himself catching a deep pass from Russell Wilson during a workout in San Diego, and along with it wrote: “Who would like to see this on Sundays? It was fun.” Apparently, it could happen. According to NFL Network’s Michael Silver, the Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens have discussed signing Brown, while John Clayton from ESPN reported that Wilson “would love” to have the seven-time Pro Bowler as a target. But of course, it’s not as simple as coming to terms on a deal. Because of a number of offfield incidents, Brown faces the possibility of a suspension for violating personal conduct regulations if and when he does sign with a team. How hard does he get slapped by the league? That guess has to be factored in — along with a decision on whether he can be trusted to clean up his act — by whatever team takes a chance on the 31-year old.
OUT OF BOUNDS
With SoFi Stadium (the new home of the Rams and Chargers) almost completed, the Los Angeles Times reports that seven more construction workers have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total of infected labourers on the site to 25 … After a decade long search for a naming rights partner for their home field, the Chiefs have discussed the opportunity with a candidate just down the street. While a story in Sports Business Journal says the defending champs are nearing a deal with Government Employees Health Association, which has its corporate headquarters in the vicinity of Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs maintain Arrowhead will remain Arrowhead for at last one more year. … Actor/ singer Zachary Levi will play the leading role in American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story, a biopic of a shelves stocking grocery store clerk who went on to become an NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer. Levi, a 39-year old Louisianan, is best known for starring as Chuck Bartkowski in the TV series Chuck, as well as the title character in Shazam!,a superhero film based on the DC Comics character. In the spring Warner explained, via the Cardinals website, how important it was to find the right actors. “We’d rather not make the movie than make it wrong,” he said. “We want to do it right and make sure it’s the story we went to tell, inspiring and uplifting and encouraging.”
EXTRA POINTS
Among a list of new hires by the New York Giants is Dr. Lani Lawrence, the new director of wellness and clinical services who will also oversee the team’s player engagement/development program, and Hannah Burnett, their first full-time female scout … The Ravens are expecting to get a big boost to their No. 2 rated defence with the return of very good cornerback Tavon Young, who missed all of 2019 with a neck injury. “He looks healthy on the computer,” said defensive coordinator Wink Martindale in a conference call with reporters. “Tavon is ready to go, and if he tells me he’s ready to go, I believe in him 100 per cent.”