Cam Newton Agrees To Terms With Carolina Panthers

The new NFL collective bargaining agreement was not kind for rookies looking to cash-in, though it has all but eliminated hold-outs. Rookies are now locked in to a dollar amount, cutting back on the bloated contracts for high first-round picks. For the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Cam Newton, the new CBA could not have been worse.

Gone are the days of massive, record-breaking rookie contracts. The rookie scale was an important piece in the NFL lockout negotiations, but one that was far from a deal-breaking. In fact, an agreement on the rookie pay issue came weeks before the lockout was settled, with little resistance from the players’ side.

Consider Cam Newton’s bank account the first victim of the new NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft agreed to terms on Friday, reportedly accepting a deal that will guarantee him $22 million over four years. There’s also a team option for a fifth year. With the new CBA effectively mandating how much each draft pick will be paid, the only part of the contract up for negotiation was the guaranteed money.

Newton was among the more dynamic college players last year at Auburn, passing for 30 touchdowns and rushing for 20 more. Those numbers helped him win the Heisman Trophy.