Cam Newton's Salary, Bonuses and Incentives in Patriots Contract Revealed

Cam Newton can earn a maximum of $7.5 million from his one-year contract with the New England Patriots if he hits incentive milestones and the team wins Super Bowl LV.

On Thursday, ESPN's Field Yates provided a breakdown of the deal, which includes just $550,000 in guaranteed money:

Newton, 31, earned $121.4 million during his nine-year career with the Carolina Panthers, per Spotrac. It was a terrific run that included winning the 2015 MVP Award and leading the franchise to Super Bowl 50.

However, he struggled to generate widespread interest as a free agent after being released by the Panthers in March. Injuries he suffered in recent years, including shoulder surgery after the 2018 season and a foot injury that limited him to two games in 2019, likely limited his options.

Rather than wait until training camp and potentially into the regular season to see if more lucrative offers arrived as injuries arose, he accepted the one-year, prove-it deal from the Pats.

"It's not a lot of things money cannot buy, but amongst the top of that list of things you would find respect as one of those," Newton wrote on Instagram last week. "This is not about money for me; it's about respect."

He'll compete with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer for New England's starting quarterback job when camp gets underway in late July.

The lack of offseason team activities because of the coronavirus pandemic and the prospect of a reduced or eliminated preseason slate could make it difficult for Newton to win the spot out of the gate.

He's the most talented QB on the Patriots roster, however, and he'd give the team the best chance to make some serious noise in 2020 if he's all the way back to full strength.

A strong, healthy year in New England, even if he doesn't reach the $7.5 million max in his contract, would put him in position to attract more lucrative, long-term offers as a free agent next year.

Newton and the Pats are scheduled to open the regular season Sept. 13 against the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins.