When Cam Newton signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots last summer, he essentially bet on himself. The deal was low on guarantees but included various escalators to possibly push its value from $1.05 million up to $7.5 million. Newton did not reach the final incentive levels of the pact, but after starting 15 games during the 2020 season still managed to earn $3.96 million.
Fast forward to this offseason, and you see Newton sign a similar deal. While both the base and the maximum values are considerably higher than a year ago, the structure is not much different and again built around incentives and bonuses.