Cam Newton has found a new home in the NFL after inking a one-year deal with the New England Patriots. Newton can put his career back on track, but the focus has been on how inexpensive his contract is as it’s well below his market value. With that in mind, there are some tough incentives to reach for him to get a shot at getting his full potential earnings in the deal.

Cam Newton officially signs with Patriots

It was nothing short than a long process for Cam Newton in his first trip to free agency as it took a few months to find his next team.

That led to the chatter shifting away from his ability on the field toward him accepting taking a backup role. Teams such as the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers passed on the opportunity to bring him aboard.

It took until late last month for Newton to secure a one-year deal with the Patriots worth up to $7.5 million. That has put him on track to re-establish himself as more than a viable starting quarterback in the league. He’s playing on a deal that is well below his market value on what essentially is a prove-it contract for him to earn his next big deal in his career.

There have been many criticisms of the contract he received from the Patriots, but the manner it is laid out has some quite lofty incentives.

Cam Newton’s insane path to earn $7.5 million from Patriots

Cam Newton has officially inked his deal to join the Patriots for the 2020 season that could pay upwards of $7.5 million.

It’s a contract with a base salary of just over $1 million, with only half of that guaranteed. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Newton has to hit some incredibly high marks to secure his entire potential earnings in the deal.

(1) suits up for every game; (2) plays at least 90 percent of all offensive snaps; (3) leads the team to the playoffs; (4) qualifies for the Pro Bowl; (5) is named the Associated Press All-Pro quarterback; and (6) wins four playoff games in which he takes at least 50 percent of the snaps. 

That would require Newton to win the starting job outright before beginning the regular season while playing at an elite level that earns him a Pro Bowl selection. If he wants to reach the last incentive in his deal, it would require New England not to garner a first-round bye.

Each of the first five incentives in his contract are parameters that he has achieved at various points in his career and could prove himself to still be an elite talent. It’s on him to make the most of the opportunity that he has in front of him.

Cam Newton’s path is in his own hands in the 2020 season

Since agreeing to the deal with the Patriots, Cam Newton made it quite clear that his contract isn’t about the money but more so respect.

Every team passed the 31-year-old, including the Patriots, until he moved toward lowering the bar to play at an inexpensive rate. The pressure is on him to showcase his ability to earn the starting job in New England to put his career back on track.

For the first time, there are significant doubters that he can continue to be a viable starting quarterback. Meanwhile, critics have voiced serious concern about his ability to stay healthy through the duration of an entire season. The pieces are lined up for him to bounce back in a significant want to prove that he has plenty left in the gas to play at an elite level and keep the Patriots among the best teams in the league.