Greg Newsome was drafted to be a foundational piece of the Cleveland Browns’ defense for many years.
But pundits of teams across the league report the Browns are open to the right offer.
ESPN Cleveland recently shared insider Tony Grossi’s take on a potential deal.
Could Greg Newsome be traded this offseason? @TonyGrossi thinks there's a legit chance…. pic.twitter.com/GfRtXn5cLQ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 8, 2024
Grossi agrees that Newsome can be had if a deal returns a player or draft picks worthy of an excellent corner.
The Browns insider believes Berry already has a replacement for Newsome in Cameron Mitchell.
He also declares that Newsome will always be the third-best corner on the roster.
Even though Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski believe you can never have enough good corners, how many will they pay?
By May 1, Berry has to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option.
The former No. 26 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has enough playing time to qualify for level 3 status.
That means he’s set to earn a guaranteed $13.38 million in 2025.
As Grossi says, teams don’t pay their third-best cornerbacks $13 million.
Berry is a master of salary cap manipulation and he could always restructure Newsome’s deal next year.
But the team has to pay the player his $13.38 million eventually.
Locking Newsome up for $13 million next year would seem like a bargain to a team in search of a quality starter.
That’s why any deal for Newsome might wait until after the NFL Draft and some key free-agent signings.
NEXT: NFC Team Reportedly Showing Trade Interest In Greg Newsome