These Cam Newton contract details will make you hate the New England Patriots even more

Cam Newton is a great bargain for the New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots have replaced former MVP Tom Brady with former MVP Cam Newton. This unprecedented quarterback transition was a cost-effective one too for Bill Belichick and the Patriots salary cap.

Newton signed a one-year deal for the NFL veteran minimum, which is $1.05 million and with incentives can reach as much as $7.5 million. And it’s looking like it might make for a more appealing gamble than the $50 million one by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Brady.

To put that in context, there are scores of backups who will pocket significantly more money than the 2015 NFL MVP and former No. 1 pick out of Auburn. It’s why it had San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman thinking it was disgusting how low the offers were for the transcendent player.

These Cam Newton contract details will shock you at how little the New England Patriots are paying the former NFL MVP and No. 1 pick.

While the Patriots were long believed to be interested in signing Newton at their leisure when other backups signed elsewhere and the Patriots didn’t make a move in the 2020 NFL Draft for one of the top young quarterbacks, few could have anticipated the Pats would get dollar store prices.

If Newton hits all of his incentives and gets $7.5 million, he’ll tie Tyrod Taylor of the Los Angeles Chargers for the No. 25 cap hit in the NFL, according to Spotrac. You can see the full salary breakdown to see the long list of quarterbacks in line to make more money than Newton this year.

Taylor was signed by the Chargers but will now compete with No. 6 overall pick Justin Herbert for the starting job. Taylor will likely serve as the backup in more games than he will as a starter barring injuries to either player. And he’s not the only backup to bank more than Newton this year.

Ryan Fitzpatrick and his $8 million cap hit will cede his job to Tua Tagovailoa after the Miami Dolphins took him with the No. 5 pick. Marcus Mariota and his $9.125 million will backup Derek Carr on the Las Vegas Raiders. Mitchell Trubisky and his $9.3 million may lose his job to Nick Foles with the Chicago Bears. Finally, Jacoby Brissett and his $21.3 million will backup Philip Rivers on the Indianapolis Colts.

Every NFL quarterback with a higher cap hit than Cam Newton.

1. Dak Prescott
2. Russell Wilson
3. Jared Goff
4. Jimmy Garoppolo
5. Tom Brady
6. Philip Rivers
7. Ben Roethlisberger
8. Drew Brees
9. Ryan Tannehill
10. Aaron Rodgers
11. Derek Carr
12. Alex Smith
13. Jacoby Brissett
14. Matthew Stafford
15. Kirk Cousins
16. Matt Ryan
17. Carson Wentz
18. Teddy Bridgewater
19. Mitchell Trubisky
20. Marcus Mariota
21. Baker Mayfield
22. Sam Darnold
23. Kyler Murray
24. Ryan Fitzpatrick
25. Tyrod Taylor/Cam Newton

If he doesn’t hit his incentives, Newton’s $1.05 million base salary will tie his new teammate, Brian Hoyer, for No. 55 in the NFL. One spot ahead is Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and one spot below is New York Giants third-stringer, Alex Tanney.

Newton may be the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year and the biggest bargain in the NFL in 2020 and maybe one of the best ever if he reverts to his former MVP form. Then, Cam and the Patriots and their fans will be laughing all the way to the bank. And in the case of Cam, quite literally, as he’ll be a free agent and would command a much bigger contract next offseason.