Projecting a Cam Newton contract equivalent in MLB’s offseason

Sep 7, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) walks off the field after defeating Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-14 at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

News broke hours ago about the Carolina Panthers reaching a new agreement with their starting quarterback, Cam Newton. Let’s cal it THE Cam Newton contract, because it could live on in infamy like THE Barry Zito contract circa 2007 in baseball. It is a significant deal, Newtonian in nature.

Everyone will have an opinion about Newton’s contract being good or bad. Panthers fans will likely attest this type of money in necessary in order for them to be competitive in the future. And they’re right, Newton has the stuff to make them compete. This deal makes even more sense when one considers that franchise quarterbacks almost never hit free agency.

But should Newton be the second highest paid signal caller — or player for that matter — over a three-year term in NFL history after only Peyton Manning? Barry Petchesky does a nice job of breaking down some in-depth analysis on the deal over at Deadspin. Looking at it bluntly, though, Newton is not even the best quarterback inside his NFC South division.

Carolina Panthers

Newton is no Drew Brees of the Saints, who has a 95. 4 career passer rating and one Super Bowl ring. He’s no Matt Ryan over in Atlanta either, who has a career passer rating of 91.1. The knock on Ryan is he has a 1-4 record in the playoffs, but Newton’s postseason record is not any more prestigious at 1-2 (he also has a losing record in four regular seasons too at 30-31-1 and is only 12-10 within his division). His career passer rating is 85.4 and it reached an all-time low of 82.1 in 2014. Then of course, only time will tell if Newton statistically becomes the worst quarterback in his division based on what Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Jameis Winston does.

Cam Newton’s biggest asset is his dual threat ability. But that last time an extremely lucrative contract was handed out to a dual threat quarterback named Michael Vick, both he and it did not fulfill expectations. Newton is a better passer than Vick, but Russell Wilson is a better dual threat quarterback than Newton. I look at Newton’s contract as the deal Wilson probably should have received. After all, the guy has two Super Bowl appearances (and nearly two rings if not for a terrible play call) and a career passer rating of 97.8. Wilson’s deal should have set the stage for Newton’s negotiations, not vice versa.

Hey, inflated contracts happen. I get it, and so should you. This Newton contract is not necessarily a bad contract yet, but it has the potential to be a letdown. Probably not anywhere near Zito’s level, but still. With that said, here are five potential Major League Baseball players who will likely strike it richer this offseason as free agents than they should have.

Next: 5. Mike Pelfrey