The Cleveland Browns are hoping things take a turn for the better in 2025. They were one of the worst teams in the league and used the offseason to make some tweaks.
Cleveland is focused on this season, but there are several players who are going into the final year of their deals and will hit the free agent market in March 2026.
Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, David Njoku, Jerome Ford, Greg Newsome, and Teven Jenkins are a couple of guys who will hit the open market, and Newsome looks like the guy who will price himself out of Cleveland.
2025 Could Be Greg Newsome’s Last Year in Cleveland
Newsome was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Over 54 games (42 starts), he recorded 155 total tackles, 34 pass deflections, and three interceptions. He has shown the versatility to line up on the outside and in the slot.
Cleveland picked up his fifth-year option last year, but there hasn't been much movement on any possible extension. They already have CB Denzel Ward on the books through 2027, with at least a $27 million cap hit. The odds are that Cleveland won't be willing to hand out another lucrative extension to an additional CB. We can't forget that Myles Garrett landed a four-year, $160 million contract as well.
Last season was his most disappointing one of Newsome's career, where he only started in three games and finished with a career-low 54 coverage grade per PFF. Newsome had a 120.4 passer rating allowed in coverage, but he owns the traits to bounce back.
From 2021-2023, Newsome had at least a 70 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus with at least nine pass breakups. If he can get back to that form, Newsome will be a candidate for a big payday in free agency. Teams are always looking for athletic corners, and Newsome is a player who could fit that bill.
The Northwestern product will get his chance to bounce back since Cleveland didn't add anyone else in the secondary to replace him.
The top 15 highest-paid CBs all make at least $18 million a year. Newsome, with his first-round resume, would ask for that caliber of a deal, and that could be too rich for Cleveland's pockets.