Cam Newton Close to Signing Five-Year Contract Extension

Cam Newton is set for a contract that would have him in Carolina through 2020, with reports that a deal could be done as soon as Monday. “The contract extension with the Panthers is expected to be 5 years, and more than $100M,” reported NFL Nework’s Ian Rapoport.

While Newton is due to make $14.67 million in 2015, sources are reporting that the new deal may average somewhere around $20 million per year.

Cam’s camp has been negotiating a firm extension for quite some time, but Newton initially wanted to allow players such as Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson to sign new contracts, thereby setting the market for the next generation of major quarterback deals. The amount they’re asking for isn’t unheard of. In 2012, Drew Brees was the first quarterback to sign for $20 million per season, with Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco following suit.

Russell Wilson nor Andrew Luck have a new deal in ink, but Ryan Tannehill’s new long-term contract probably helped Cam’s process. Tannehill signed a six-year, $95 million deal with the Miami Dolphins last month, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. If the terms of Newton’s new contract are as reported, his and Tannehill’s deals will be the same length.

Cam recently told Morgan Fogarty of WCCB in Charlotte, “I say this with the most humility, but I don’t think nobody has ever been who I’m trying to be. Nobody has the size, nobody has the speed, nobody has the arm strength, nobody had the intangibles that I’ve had.”

The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South last season and ended with a record of 7-8-1. During the postseason Newton got his first playoff win of his career by beating Arizona in the wild card game. The Panthers’ season would end a week later with a loss to Seattle in the divisional playoffs.