Just in; Cleveland Browns Predicted to Pick Up Option on $13 Million DB, Former 1st-Rounder
Not only do the Cleveland Browns have to worry about adding talent this offseason, but they also have to find a way to keep all of their quality players on the roster.
One of those players is former first-round pick Greg Newsome II. The cornerback is in the fourth and final year of his $13 million rookie contract in 2024. However, the Browns can exercise the five-year deal, keeping Newsom tied up through 2025. Over The Cap estimates that this decision will cost the Browns $12.17 million for the 2025 campaign alone. That’s not a huge number when it comes to NFL salaries, but it makes it more difficult for Cleveland given the cap situation salary of the team in the future. Jacob Roach of USA Today’s Browns Wire speculated that the team will exercise the option even if they can’t create an ideal financial situation.
“When you talk about picking up his fifth-year option, you have to ask yourself if you want to extend him long-term. … Newsom isn’t a bad player, but he’s not a player you want to pay more than $10 million a year,” Roach wrote Monday, Feb. 5. Because he is a good player, even if he does not have enough corners and is not in his prime.
Cleveland has until May 2 to make a decision on Newsom’s options. Newsom performed well in 2023 in career tackles (49), pass breakups (14), tackles for loss (4), interceptions (2) and defensive tackles (1).
According to Pro Football Reference, he held opposing quarterbacks to an overall completion percentage of 56.7% and an overall grade of 74.8 on 67 targets. Both numbers were career highs.
Pro Football Focus ranked Newsome as the 56th best cornerback out of 127 players who saw enough snaps to earn the position. Newsome’s rushing defense was his biggest threat, according to the site’s advanced analytics formula.
Newsom appeared in 14 of the Browns’ 17 regular-season games last season and made 13 starts. The defense was handed over in 2023.
The Browns will face difficult financial realities in the coming years
Any talk of expansion or free agency in Cleveland over the next few seasons will likely come down to the salary cap. The Browns’ current cap hit is $20.6 million, but starting in 2023, the team’s cap hit will be around $30 million. Deshaun Watson’s cap hit will rise to $64 million this season and stay there. His contract runs until 2026. The team also committed to keeping wide receiver Amari Cooper after his fifth Pro Bowl campaign. That means an additional $24 million in cap space for next season.
Cleveland could rework Watson’s deal and move money into the future in the form of dead cap, but general manager Andrew Berry told The Athletic’s Jack Jackson on Feb. 1 that reworking Watson’s deal won’t free up $33 million in space. Surely the plan will go ahead. “Honestly, we’re not there yet,” Berry told Jackson. “It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to cut it, but it depends on how you plan.”
However, if the Browns decide to move on, good players like Newsome and Nick Chubb could get less money or face cut or trade scenarios in the future.
