Earlier this week the Carolina Panthers locked up quarterback Cam Newton to a five year deal worth $103 million. Many armchair GMs questioned this move as it made Newton the third highest paid QB in the league, which is a pretty big deal for a guy who is 1-2 in the playoffs. Only Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, both Super Bowl winners, make more money than Newton.
$103 million is a lot of money for a quarterback with a 31-33-1 record, but this is a deal that had to be done.
Newton is 26 years old with elite talent. His record certainly doesn’t reflect his skills. I’ve watched every single game of Newton’s career and I can tell you that at least half of those losses weren’t his fault. Newton has shown solid improvement in each of his first four seasons, both physically and mentally. At 26, Newton is entering the prime of his career and the Panthers are banking on him continuing to improve.
Other quarterbacks may have a better record than Newton, but how many of them have the same skillset? Newton is unquestionably the biggest dual threat QB in the league right now. He has the arm strength to make all the throws and can extend the play with his legs. His decision making sometimes gets him in trouble, but it’s gotten better with maturity.
That maturity is one of the big reasons why the Panthers signed Newton to a deal of this caliber. Cam was often times criticized for being immature during his first couple of seasons with the team. The highs were too high and the lows were too low. Coming off a spectacular college career where his Auburn team went undefeated and won the National title, Newton didn’t know how to lose. He learned how to lose real fast in Carolina and it was too much for him. Last season really show his maturity. He battled through injuries, roster turnover and tough losses to lead the Panthers to another division title. Sure it was in a weak division, but they still won the games they needed to win in order to make the playoffs.
When looking at this deal, don’t forget that it’s not all about on the field performance. The NFL is a quarterback and star driven league and Newton is a star. He moves merchandise and has been featured in multiple national commercials. Newton brings revenue and exposure to the Panthers organization that can only be matched by very few players in the league.
Now the Panthers need to protect and build around their investment. They’ve given him weapons in each of the last two drafts with Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, but the offensive line remains a problem. Newton takes a lot of hits on the field for two reasons. First, he doesn’t always get out of bounds or slide, opting to lower his head or dive for the extra yards. He’s promised to be more mindful of avoiding those hits in the upcoming season, but that remains to be seen. Second, his offense line has been terrible for years and can’t protect him for longer than a couple of seconds.
The Panthers are an organization moving in the right direction. They had to lock up Newton. You can say they overpaid, but if he hit the open market, another team would’ve paid just as much because good quarterbacks are a rare commodity in the NFL. He may not have the wins to back it up, but very few people deny his talent and incline.
Deals like this are the new normal for NFL QBs. Ryan Tannehill and Andy Dalton set the market. Both players are older than Newton and have fewer playoff victories. Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson are about to blow away Newton’s deal, and deservedly so. In the grand scheme of things, Newton’s big deal isn’t a big deal. It’s the NFL.
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