Browns CB Greg Newsome wants to be in Cleveland 'for life'
By Randy Gurzi
Earlier this offseason, rumors were flying around stating the Cleveland Browns were shopping one of their top cornerbacks. With Denzel Ward under contract for the long haul, and Martin Emerson still on his rookie deal, the signs were pointing to
General manager Andrew Berry quickly put these rumors to bed, saying he and the Browns were thrilled with Newsome. Not long after that, he put his money where his mouth was and picked up the fifth-year option in Newsome's rookie deal. That means the former first-round pick is under contract for the next two seasons and will make $13.77 million guaranteed in 2025.
Newsome was recently at the Northeast Ohio Girls High School Flag Football Championship Tournament at Cleveland Browns Stadium and took some time to discuss his contract status. The fourth-year defensive back said he was "blessed" and while the team hasn't discussed plans beyond 2025, he wants to be with the Browns "for life."
"Extension-wise, we haven't really talked about that," he said via Eric Edholm. "Honestly, I'm just focused on trying to get us as high as we can this year and whatever happens after that happens.
"But like I said before, I would love to be a Cleveland Brown for life."
Browns have a potentially dominant secondary
Teams likely asked Berry about Cleveland's secondary during the Scouting Combine, which could be where the rumors started. It would make sense to see if the GM was willing to part with anyone since the Browns have a stacked secondary.
Newsome is joined by fellow first-round pick Denzel Ward as well as Martin Emerson — who was a Pro Bowl snub in 2023. Their talent extends into the safety corps as well with Juan Thornhill, Grant Delpit, Rodney McLeod, D'Anthony Bell, and Ronnie Hickman all proving to be capable options.
Cleveland has some impressive depth as well with Newsome's former teammate, Cam Mitchell, playing well was a rookie in 2023. They're also throwing Myles Harden into the mix, and he could prove to be a late-round steal from 2024.