Several months went by and none of the 32 NFL teams agreed to sign him until reports surfaced Sunday night of the New England Patriots and the 31-year-old quarterback coming to terms on a one-year contract worth up to $7.5 million.
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Newton was released in March by the Carolina Panthers, and despite his extraordinary talent and impressive body of work over nine seasons with the NFC South franchise (including a 2015 NFL MVP), there surprisingly weren't many suitors for him in free agency, according to reports.