Cam Newton’s arrival in New England was bizarre even by the standards of sports in 2020. It was odd enough that the 2011 No. 1 draft pick and 2015 League MVP was still on the free-agency market at all in July, considering the Panthers released him in March. Then the real shock came when Newton signed with the recently Tom-Bradyless Patriots, which was followed by even more head-scratching when the details of his contract were revealed.
Belichick and Co.’s acquisition of Cam Newton stands out as the year’s biggest NFL bargain. Newton signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with a base salary of just $1.05 million, the minimum for a veteran with his number of years in the league. He’s guaranteed only $550,000, but when all possible incentives are included, he could earn as much as $7.5 million. To earn that he’d have to play a lot and win deep into the postseason, which seems unlikely with the Patriots at 2-4 for the year and Newton’s position as starting quarterback tenuous. For context, Newton collected $19 million from the Panthers in 2019 alone, which makes him one of the most underpaid players in the NFL — and he’s hardly the only one.
That much should be clear in this new GOBankingRates study of some of the league’s most underpaid players. Each of these players earns less than the average cap hit — the portion of the salary that counts against the league’s salary cap — and either led the team in a statistical category last season or were voted to the Pro Bowl.
So, here’s a closer look at which player on your favorite team is due for a big raise once their current contract is up.
Last updated: Oct. 30, 2020
