Though many people, including the 31-year-old quarterback himself, are excited about Cam Newton signing with the New England Patriots, Richard Sherman is not one of them.
The San Francisco 49ers cornerback ripped into Newton’s one-year deal with the team on social media and called it “disgusting.”
“How many former League MVPs have had to sign for the min?” he wrote on Twitter. “(Asking for a friend.) just ridiculous. A transcendent talent and less talented QBs are getting 15/16m a year. Disgusting.”
Sherman clearly thinks Newton should not have had to settle for an incentive-laden contract worth a maximum of $7.5 million when other less-talented QBs like Nick Foles, Ryan Tannehill and Jimmy Garoppolo are making much more than that.
It’s a valid point on the surface, but also ignores that there are plenty of questions about 31-year-old Newton’s ability to play at a high level at this point in his career.
Newton is coming off a year in which he played in just two games for the Panthers after suffering a foot injury in a preseason game at Gillette Stadium against the Patriots last August. Though he has complied a 68-55-1 record as a starter over nine seasons in the NFL, Newton has lost his last eight starts and thrown nine touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions over that stretch.
While clearly Bill Belichick and the Patriots are hopeful Newton can rebound from the foot injury and the shoulder issues that have plagued him in recent seasons, there’s no guarantee that he will be able to beat out Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer to lock down the job as New England’s No. 1 quarterback and his contract is a reflection of that reality.
That said, it seems hard to believe Newton would settle for anything other than being a starter, so if for some reason he can’t win the No. 1 job, he’ll likely be released.
But given how much he has praised Newton in the past, Belichick is likely rooting for the No. 1 overall pick from the 2011 NFL Draft to rise above Stidham and Hoyer and be the short-term replacement for Tom Brady.
It’s all possible Newton, who beat the Patriots both times he faced them while completing 41-of-57 passes (71.9 percent) for 525 yards with six touchdowns, could end up being the long-term replacement for Brady as well if he can play well, stay healthy and stay on the same page with Belichick and New England’s coaching staff.
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