CB Greg Newsome Hopes To Finish Career With Browns

Greg Newsome has frequently been mentioned in trade talks, but he is set to remain with the Browns for 2025. As he enters what could be a make-or-break Cleveland season, the former first-round corner aims to land a new commitment from the team.

The Browns exercised Newsome’s fifth-year option last spring. As a result of the move, he is due $13.38MM for 2025, a season in which a starting role on the outside should await him. The Achilles tear suffered by Martin Emerson this week will sideline him for the 2025 season and leave Cleveland without a full-time CB starter. Denzel Ward will remain in place as a perimeter starter, but in Emerson’s absence Newsome should move from the slot to the boundary.

A strong campaign in that role would help Newsome’s value on his second NFL contract, regardless of where it comes from. The 25-year-old saw a notable decline in playing time and struggled in coverage last season before landing on injured reserve. In the wake of those developments – along with a looming Emerson raise provided he lands a new Browns pact – Newsome has long been connected to trade rumors. If the Northwestern product has his way, though, he will remain in Cleveland through the remainder of his career.

“I’ve said it since the day I was drafted, I want to be a Brown for life, and in order to do that I got to hold [up] my end of the bargain,” Newsome said when asked about his future (via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal). “The good thing is I’m starting this training camp healthy so I’m able to get out there and get the reps in before the season starts, and that’s my main goal. It’s always been my goal is to be a Brown for life, so I got to hold up my end of the bargain.”

Newsome has 54 games and 42 starts to his name, but he will look for a healthier and more productive 2025 than his previous campaign (in which he was charged with four touchdowns and a passer rating of 112.5 allowed in coverage). While the Browns struggled in total defense last season, they ranked 12th against the pass. Improvement in both areas will be difficult without Emerson, but Newsome figures to have a notable role in the effort to take a step forward.

Given his age, Newsome would be at least an attractive depth option for contending teams leading up to the trade deadline. An encouraging season would also boost his free agent stock, but it will be interesting to see if the Browns show a willingness to authorize a long-term pact in the event they retain him through the regular season.