Panthers May be in for Long Contract Negotiations with Cam Newton

Several quarterbacks have gotten supposedly large contracts in the past few months, and Cam Newton is on record for not liking the deals....at all.

Yes, people like Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton get the headlines - 5 years $96 million dollars, or whatever the individual case may be. It sound like a ton of money, but as we all know headlines are simply sound bites to get you to read or listen as "teasers."


Take Dalton's contract for instance. Only $17 million in guaranteed money, which is far less than a guy like, say, Miami's WR Mike Wallace. He got about double that in guarantees, and he's not even a quarterback!

No, Cam's looking for a lot more guaranteed money than the contracts Kaepernick and Dalton are getting. In fact, the Bengals can actually CUT Dalton after two years and not really be hit financially because of the way the contract is structured.

Kaepernick's is similar in many ways.

What this tells me is that their respective clubs want to keep these guys - and pay them well for the next couple of years - but it's not "elite QB" money. They seem to be combinations of a "prove it" contract with several long "option-type" years at the end. 

I think it's fair to say Kaepernick and Dalton are above-average QBs, but their lack of playoff success makes their respective GMs and owners reluctant to give that full-out huge contract such as say a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees enjoys. A million or more per game in their cases, or close to it in Tom's case.

The reason? All are Super Bowl-winning QBs. Same reason Joe Flacco got his huge-money contract, although I do not believe he is in the same class as the "top three." He did get hot in the playoffs, however, and that is the key.

Problem: Cam knows darned well he falls into that "tweener" category right now, empirically speaking.

He has as much natural TALENT as any QB in the NFL and perhaps even more so when you consider his elite arm strength, size, and overall athleticism. For example, recently other NFL players voted that Cam would make the best NFL linebacker of any current QB, which is actually a compliment.

One said "Can you imagine seeing Cam rush the QB off the edge? *I* wouldn't wanna block him."

The stumbling block remains, however. Cam Newton is 0-1 in playoff games.

Certainly, he has his team on the upswing with improving records in each of his first three seasons. In his case, Rivera's "Three Year Plan" worked out nearly exactly as drawn up, which is unusual in itself. He's taken the team from 5-11 his rookie season to 12-4 last year...Cam or Ron R. both.

Colin Kaepernick only got $13 million guaranteed which "really scares people who know Cam Newton very well."

Hmm. Click the statement above for more details there.

On the other hand, Cam claims "I'm not terrified of anything." As it stands right now, the Panthers have Cam under contract through the end of next season but have expressed an interest in signing the signal-caller to a long-term deal.

Given GM Dave Gettleman's penny-pinching ways and the hindsight of Marty Hurney's huge guaranteed contracts, Cam's going to REALLY have to earn his way to a big mega-deal of a contract. Negotiations haven't yet begun, but I'm willing to bet the Panthers' organization wants to see him at LEAST win a playoff game and more likely a deeper run into the playoffs - if not a Super Bowl berth.

Here's what the Charlotte Observer has to say about the situation.

If you take Kaepernick's contract as a "starting point," Cam's final contract will likely not bear much resemblance if Cam gets his way with things. 

At least Newton will be making $14.67 million in his 5th year - 2015 - as the Panthers exercised their option on him. In other words, Cam's 5th year is going to be very much like a "Franchise tag" without an actual franchise tag. Such appears to be the contract's structure, at any rate.

According to the Charlotte Observer article, Cam's contract needs to be closer to that of Jay Cutler's new deal. Joel Corry, a former NFL agent, says “I think $18 million (a year) gets you in the game for Cam, with $50 million in guarantees.”

That would seem to be a pretty big ballpark and a pitcher's paradise, so we all need to expect a fairly long, drawn-out process when the two sides DO begin to negotiate. That's getting towards Manning or Brees-type money and Cam doesn't yet even have a single playoff victory, let alone a Super Bowl ring like those two do.

So we fans are going to have to be patient and let the suits do their jobs. When all is said and done, here's what I'm thinking....and I'm just throwing a somewhat educated guess at the length and the numbers:

6 years, $118 million, with $40 million in guaranteed money.

Much less than that, I'm afraid, and the "entertainer and icon" could well test the free-agent market. 

And unfortunately, that's a very real possibility.

Stay tuned.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/06/05/4957258/cam-newtons-next-contract-with.html#.U_DkcfldVVI#storylink=cpy

Will Cam Newton Get Paid?

Andy Dalton, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals received a six year, $115 million contract extension today. Last week, Dalton said that he was pretty confident he would get a new deal done; he sure did.  His deal is similar to Jay Cutler’s seven years, $126.7 million signed in January.

Cam Newton is under contract for the upcoming season, but the Carolina Panthers need to decide on whether or not to exercise his option for the 2015 season. If Dalton and Cutler are getting deals this big, how much should Cam Newton get when he signs a new contract with the Carolina Panthers?

How well were Cam Newton and Andy Dalton supposed to do in the NFL?


Cam Newton and Andy Dalton were both drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft. Newton was drafted number one overall by the Carolina Panthers and Dalton was drafted 35th by the Cincinnati Bengals. Newton had a lot of hype coming into the draft and Dalton was just seen as a proven winner, but was projected to struggle with the transition to the NFL.

Let’s compare Andy Dalton and Cam Newton:

Andy Dalton started his rookie year and brought his winning ways to the NFL. His record in the regular season is 30-15, and he has thrown 33 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. The problem is his consistency and performance in the playoffs. There are some games where you think “Wow, he deserves this pay raise!” and then other games you are not sure Dalton should even be a starter. Dalton and the Bengals have made the playoffs every year that he has been the starting quarterback, but all three times they have been knocked out in the wild-card round. Is the fourth time going to be a charm? Overall he is a winner, but will his success translate to the playoffs?

Cam Newton was the number one overall pick, so of course he started for the Panthers his rookie season.  Newton is a dual-threat quarterback who can run and throw the ball. His regular season record is 25-24 and he has thrown 64 touchdowns, and 42 interceptions. Newton struggles with his passing consistency, but can make up for it with his feet. Newton has 28 career rushing touchdowns and 2,032 rushing yards. He made his first playoff appearance last season against the 49ers last year, but he didn’t look confident of comfortable. Cam finished the game 16 of 25 with 267 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. It was a defensive battle, and the 49ers won. This is a bad memory I want to forget.

The Panthers team record has improved every year, so does this mean Newton is maturing and getting better? Absolutely! Cam Newton is still having fun, but he has worked, improved his accuracy, and is becoming the leader of this team. Cam Newton needs to play well in order for the Panthers to succeed. He is the face of the Panthers and deserves to get paid!  Andy Dalton’s contract ensures that Cam will land the big bucks. The question remains, just how much?

How much money does Cam Newton deserve?

By +Justin Raymond
@JayRay19

Kaepernick's Record Setting Deal Means Even Bigger Bucks for Cam Newton

#469654047 / gettyimages.com

Things are getting hot outside, and Carolina is feeling the heat. Yesterday, San Francisco 49er quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, inked a scorching hot deal worth 123 million over 6 years.  The steamiest part was the guaranteed money—61 million, the highest ever in NFL history. 

A hot commodity in a new age of mobile, athletic quarterbacks, Kaepernick found tremendous success in his first three seasons.  Supported by a strong offensive line and relentless running game, Kaepernick has made one Super Bowl  and two NFC Conference Championship appearances.  Kaeperick’s sample size may be small, but it is impressive.  This success was clearly enough for San Francisco to spend the big bucks to lock down Kaepernick for the long hall.

No doubt, this deal will affect Cam Newton’s future contract signing. Even if Cam and Kaepernick hadn’t been compared side-by-side throughout their careers, this deal would have inflated Cam’s value.  Quarterback contracts have been ballooning since Joe Flacco’s post-Super Bowl contract. The market norm is big money for quarterbacks. As of late, they haven’t even needed a ring to get it, and in some cases even have all that much success (Matt Stafford). NFL analysist, Albert Breer, declared that Kaepernick’s deal only further supports the death of the 2^nd tier quarterback contract, tweeting: 

$19M per year is a lot for Kaepernick. But again, there's no real 2nd-tier for quarterback deals. This complicates Smith/Dalton situations.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 4, 2014

Cam and Kaepernick, however, also represent the new NFL quarterback--big guys with big arms that can burn defenses in the air and on the ground. Kaepernick’s big signing, after such a short period as a starter, also represents a new era of NFL quarterback contracts--big and guaranteed. 

#C3 has been clear on our stance that Cam is greater than Kaepernick.  Newton may have not had the post-season successes that Kaepernick has, but his tenure in Carolina has been under distinctly different circumstances.  Newton took over a 2-14.  Kaepernick took over a playoff team. Carolina’s defense did come together last season, but Carolina’s personnel has paled in comparison during the two young quarterbacks careers.

Cam’s 2013 performance suggests he’s on the road to upper-level quarterback status.  At the very least, it showed he is in the same category as Kaepernick.  Cam’s deal won’t be any smaller that Kaepernick's, nor should it be.  Yea that’s right, Cam is greater than Kaepernick, and his contract will be too. 

So far, Gettleman has managed to keep cool while in the Carolinas.  He may currently be in the shade of Cam’s 5^th year option, but it’s still 96 degrees.  Cam is the hotter commodity, and Carolina will have to pay the big bucks to keep him around.  Bleacher Report’s Peter Panacy messaged me today that Kaepernick’s deal, given where the quarterback market is going, could be a “steal” in a few years.  Well Cam’s contract is up in two, and I don’t see him being any cheaper.  Honestly, I don’t see his contract being less if signed today.

What do you think?  Will Cam’s contract be greater than Kaepernick’s? Would his contract be more if signed today?