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Looks like former NFL MVP Cam Newton has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, league sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.
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Back in May, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback who is only the sixth Black quarterback to play in a Superbowl, was still unemployed following a shoulder injury.
But even with a surgically repaired foot and shoulder, the 31-year-old continued showing off his workouts on his social media accounts and has now stepped in to help replace former Patriots signal-caller Tom Brady, who left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
According to ESPN, “A source familiar with the Patriots’ thinking said the agreement with Newton was appealing to the team as a low-risk, high-reward situation, factoring in Newton’s health, a modest contract and New England’s transition at quarterback without Brady.”
Sunday evening, Newton took to his Instagram stories to celebrate the new deal, writing, “I’m excited as I don’t know what right now!” along with the hashtag “#LETSgoPATS.”
On March 24, the Carolina Panthers released Newton, who was the No. 1 overall selection in 2011, effectively ending their nine-year relationship.
Two months later, one of his former teammates opined that one of the issues impeding Newton’s marketability is that his injuries were mishandled by the Panthers. Former Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert had a few opinions on the issue when he was interviewed for The Athletic.
“They’ve been doing him wrong timing-wise for the past two or three years, if you ask me,” Tolbert said. “It goes back to his shoulder surgery. Everyone knew his shoulder was messed up in the middle of the year two years ago. But they wait until offseason gets ready to start to have shoulder surgery. Makes no sense. Timing’s off.”
READ MORE: Cam Newton searches for NFL job as ex-teammate says Panthers mismanaged his injuries
But despite the heated debate about how he was treated, when the dust settled, Newton appeared to have made peace with the separation, posting, “Learn to trust the journey, even when you don’t understand it.”
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