New England Patriots Sign Cam Newton and Face N.F.L. Penalty

Quarterback Cam Newton, the 2015 N.F.L. most beneficial participant who has been dogged by accidents lately, has signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots, based on multiple experiences.

On Sunday, the N.F.L. fined the Patriots $1.1 million and would take its third-round draft decide in 2021 because the penalty for the staff videotaping the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline throughout their recreation towards the Cleveland Browns final season, based on a league spokesman, Michael Signora. The incident raised contemporary suspicions of the staff, which has been the topic of extra severe guidelines scandals, just like the so-called Spygate and Deflategate incidents, throughout Coach Invoice Belichick’s tenure.

The information of Newton’s arrival, although, may have Patriots followers wanting ahead, not backward. Newton, who was drafted first over all in 2011 by the Carolina Panthers and had performed his whole profession in Carolina, grew to become a free agent this low season. After lacking a mere six video games in his first eight seasons, he performed in simply two video games final 12 months. Newton has injured his knee, shoulder and the Lisfranc ligament of his left foot, necessitating surgical procedure — a number of months earlier than the coronavirus pandemic disrupted low season N.F.L. participant motion.

Newton was released by the Panthers in March amid an organizational reshuffling that noticed the departures of Coach Ron Rivera and a stalwart linebacker, Luke Kuechly.

Earlier than accidents slowed him down, Newton, 31, was one of many league’s most dominant quarterbacks and one of the best offensive participant in Panthers historical past. He has thrown for greater than 29,00zero yards and 182 touchdowns in his profession. He has run for greater than 4,800 yards and 58 touchdowns as nicely.

His best season came in 2015, when the Panthers went 15-1 within the common season and reached the Tremendous Bowl. Newton was voted winner of the Most Priceless Participant Award that 12 months. Newton guided the Panthers to 4 postseason appearances.

The deal was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by NFL Network. The Patriots declined to touch upon the report of Newton’s signing. Newton’s agent, Bus Cook dinner, didn’t instantly return requests for remark.

Newton nonetheless should move a bodily, which all gamers have had bother finishing due to journey restrictions in the course of the coronavirus pandemic. However assuming he passes the check, Newton may have a one-year contract to show he nonetheless is a big-time quarterback and the Patriots will threat little to realize a seasoned, athletic chief. The staff’s longtime quarterback, Tom Brady, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March.

The Patriots’ roster of quarterbacks additionally contains Jarrett Stidham, whom the Patriots chosen within the fourth spherical of the 2019 draft and who appeared in simply three regular-season video games as a backup final season. The Patriots will even have Brian Hoyer, who’s in his second stint with the staff, J’Mar Smith and Brian Lewerke going into coaching camp.

Signing Newton could take a number of the sting out of the Patriots’ penalties, which stem from an occasion in December when a staff videographer recorded the sphere and the Bengals’ sideline whereas attending the Bengals-Browns recreation in Cleveland, ostensibly to movie a Patriots scout in motion for a characteristic on the staff’s web site.

In a statement launched on the time of the incident, the Patriots acknowledged that the video crew “unknowingly violated” league coverage and careworn that staff personnel had no “involvement in any respect within the planning, filming or inventive choices made in the course of the manufacturing of those options.”

The league decided that the filming constituted an try to spy on an opponent. Along with the high quality and the lack of a draft decide, the staff’s video crews will even not be allowed to shoot any video games this season and the producer accountable for the shoot can be banned from N.F.L. services.

The Newton signing and information of the league penalty come after a relatively quiet period since Brady’s departure. That silence has ended dramatically. On Tuesday, a three-judge panel in Florida will hear an enchantment of the case towards Patriots’ proprietor, Robert Okay. Kraft, when it considers a decrease court docket’s choice to throw out video proof that’s central to the 2 misdemeanor fees towards him for solicitation of prostitution.