Patriots expect to re-sign Cam Newton to incentive-laden one-year deal

The Patriots agreed to re-sign quarterback Cam Newton to a oneyear deal packed heavily with incentives Friday, according to sources.

The contract is essentially a $5 million pact with $3.5 million guaranteed, per the NFL Network. Newton will carry a $4.9 million cap hit next season. Although unlikely, he could earn as much as $14 million with incentives if he leads a long playoff run.

The structure of the deal allows the Pats to add another starting-caliber quarterback this offseason, when they're set to carry the third-most cap space in the NFL. Newton originally signed a one-year contract worth up to $7.5 million last June and failed to trigger most of those incentives. He completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 592 yards and 12 more touchdowns.

The former MVP confirmed his new deal with an Instagram post Friday with the caption: "Run it back!"

Newton was always considered an option to quarterback the team next season, per sources. The Patriots did not view the other passers available in free agency as appreciably better for their situation. Newton and Jarrett Stidham are the Pats' only quarterbacks currently under contract.

Newton beat Stidham out for the starting job in training camp last summer. He opened the season with two outstanding performances against Miami and Seattle, then struggled versus the Raiders before testing positive for COVID-19. Newton later described himself as "stagnant" after he recovered from his bout with the virus and returned to play after missing one game.

Poor decision-making and accuracy led to subsequent benchings versus the 49ers, Rams and Bills. Newton capped the team's 7-9 campaign with one of his best performances, a 21-of-30 showing for 242 yards and three touchdowns, plus 79 yards rushing against the Jets. The Pats finished with one of the league's worst passing offenses by any metric.

Last month, Newton said he would welcome a return to New England.

"I'm getting tired of changing (teams)," he declared on the I Am Athlete Podcast. "I am at a point in my career where I know way more than I did last year. Yes, I would go back."

Newton's return indicates the front office believes his lackluster weapons factored heavily into his struggles. The Patriots have yielded the worst receiving production from the tight end position of any team over the past two years and fielded arguably the NFL's worst receiving corps last season once Julian Edelman went on injured reserve. The team's leading wide receiver, Damiere Byrd, is now set to hit free agency.

By re-signing, Newton will also have the luxury of working through the team's offseason program for the first time. Last year, he mentioned several times that a shortened, virtual offseason hindered his ability to fully master the offense. The team is still expected to add another quarterback via free agency, trade or the draft, and pursue higher-end wide receivers and tight ends next week when free agency opens.