NFC South Update
It continues to happen. It’s expected. If you demonstrate a modicum of competency at the quarterback position in the NFL and your front office/coaching staff believe you can keep them employed you’ll become a member of the $100 million club. Newton and the Panthers have agreed to a 5-year $103.8 million contact extension. Despite a few nagging injuries and intermittent inconsistent play the gifted Newton has manned the controls in Carolina fairly well on the way to back-to-back divisional championships. Early reports are that $60 million of the $103.8 million deal is guaranteed. NFL Insider, Ian Rapoport indicates that a little more than $67 million will be paid to Newton over the first three seasons of the deal. That is an astronomical amount considering that historically large deals such as these are typically back-loaded in an effort to protect the team’s interest. However, Cam Newton is only 26-years-old and considering his talent his best football is likely still ahead of him. This deal also puts him in a position to “cash-in” again during his early 30s. This investment has as much to do with marketing, ticket sales and revenue as it does with performance. “Superman” is good for business even though some may not agree that his performance warrants the cap figure. The biggest and prevailing concern is how and when are the Panthers going to put more talent around Cam Newton? That becomes significantly more challenging when the quarterback accounts for $20 million plus annually against the cap.
