Cam Newton and the Panthers agreed on a five-year extension that will keep the quarterback in Carolina through 2020. It will also make him a very rich man.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reports the deal is worth $103.8 million in total money, with $67.6 million of that contract being fully guaranteed in the first three years of the deal.
Cam Newton's $67.6M over the 1st three years of deal bests what Big Ben just got. Most ever over the 1st 3yrs (a key metric in these deals)
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) June 2, 2015
“I’ve said all along, Cam is our franchise quarterback and we are absolutely thrilled that we got the extension done,” Panthers GM Dave Gettleman said. “It allows us to do the long-term planning that we need to do to make sure that he’s surrounded with players and that we can continue to build this team.
“The amount of obstacles that Cam had to overcome last year and the way he finished the season, not only physically but more importantly mentally, was key for me. It made me very comfortable doing this deal. From a physical standpoint, he’s got everything you’re looking for. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s got the arm to make all the throws and he’s got a natural feel in the pocket that you really can’t coach. He’s progressed very well as an NFL quarterback and we feel he is still ascending and has a big ceiling yet to reach.”
The #Panthers have officially signed QB @CameronNewton to a five-year contract extension: http://t.co/WaGfy1ZZrl pic.twitter.com/H6s0E7GW0k
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) June 2, 2015
Remember: Newton is still only 26. So much was made of his comments about his physical abilities recently, but the reality is what Cam said is accurate. No one's ever had his combination of strength and size to play the position he plays. He's continuing to grow into becoming a full-blown franchise quarterback and it's possible -- likely? -- the best is yet to come.
That's exactly what Carolina is betting on.
Newton's deal is going to be closely criticized, with many people wondering whether Cam is worth this kind of money. Others will tell you absolutely give him the cash. Quarterbacks just flat-out get paid in this day and age and Newton's got the production to back it up.
It was believed Newton would reset the market some with his new deal but he flat-out annihilated it, landing more in guaranteed money for the first three years of his deal than Ben Roethlisberger did with his deal from Pittsburgh.
1. Winning without weapons: There's so much dichotomized discussion about Newton and so much of it ignores the fact that Cam's had success in the NFL despite much of anything around him. He was the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 for a reason -- the Panthers roster was awful. It's been getting better under the guidance of Dave Gettleman, but let's not pretend his offensive line is any good as of right now or that his weapons, even with Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess on the roster, are truly dangerous. Cam's succeeded despite a vanilla offensive scheme and a lack of elite weapons. That counts for a lot.
2. Option and tag leverage: Cam was able to get $67 million guaranteed in this deal because of the leverage his camp had with the Panthers. Carolina controlled Cam for three more years, his 2015 option season and two franchise-tag years after that. Put those numbers together and you've got roughly $65 million in guaranteed simply to keep Cam in town.
3. Clearing QB benchmarks: People watching the NFL like to pick moving landmarks for NFL quarterbacks (it wasn't that long ago people questioned Aaron Rodgers because he hadn't won a playoff game). Cam's hit a few of them, including winning a division title, becoming the only NFC South quarterback ever to win back-to-back division titles and winning a playoff game. Complain about the 7-8-1 record or the terrible Cardinals team he beat but he still cleared the hurdles.
4. Matt Ryan is the comparison: You want to pick a quarterback's deal to compare Cam's to? Go with Matt Ryan of the Falcons. Ryan got $103.75 million total with $42 million guaranteed, Cam got just $103.8 million, ensuring he would topple his divisional rival in the financial department. The guaranteed money fits along with the option and tag years.
5. Other QBs say thanks: Other quarterbacks sitting around waiting to hammer out new contracts should be thankful for this deal because Cam just upped the ante when it comes to quarterbacks getting paid. Andrew Luck is in line for a new deal, so is Russell Wilson. Both those guys just got major ammo in terms of monetary demands. Philip Rivers and Eli Manning don't mind the number a bit either.
