Five days before he was expected to enter unrestricted free agency, the New England Patriots prevented quarterback Cam Newton from entering the open market. The Patriots and their starting quarterback from the 2020 season agreed to an incentive-laden one-year contract that will reportedly be worth close to $14 million if all bonuses are reached.
Later that same day, Newton took to social media to confirm the reports about him returning to the Patriots for a second season. The 31-year-old shared a video with the captions “Run it Back!” and “Chapter 2” indicating that he will get another shot at leading New England’s offense.
The veteran quarterback, who originally joined the Patriots last summer, completed 242 of 368 pass attempts last season, but only gained 2,657 yards through the air while throwing just 8 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. He was more effective as a runner — he carried the football 127 times for 602 yards as well as 12 touchdowns — but still failed to help the Patriots offense overcome its struggles.