Cam Newton agrees to deal with the Patriots

The last big name on the quarterback free agent market has finally agreed to sign. Cam Newton, according to ESPN's Chris Mortenson and Adam Schefter, has agreed to a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the New England Patriots.

This means the Patriots will have Brian Hoyer, Newton, and Jarred Stidham in training camp battling it out for the starting position.

The former NFL MVP was released by the Carolina Panthers after nine seasons in the offseason. Newton is just 31, but shoulder and foot injuries have limited his effectiveness and durability. He's started just twice over the Panthers' last 18 games.

When healthy, Newton is a tremendous runner and strong passer, who has thrown for at least 3,000 yards and run for 300 yards in every season from 2011 to 2018. He won the MVP in 2015 when he threw for 35 touchdown passes leading the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance.

In 2018, Newton completed a career-best 67.9% of his passes and recorded a 94.2 quarterback rating, while rushing for 488 yards in 14 games.

The Patriots were one of the few teams that were in a need of a veteran presence at quarterback when free agent Tom Brady decided to leave Foxborough for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England has won 11 straight AFC East titles and a healthy Newton could give them a shot at a 12th. It will be interesting to see when the Super Bowl, AFC East and AFC Championship odds will be posted, how the odds have changed in the Patriots' favor. As of 7pmET Sunday, the Patriots were a +2000 favorite to win the Super Bowl, while the Bucs were +1000 and division rival Buffalo were +2500 on PointsBet.