CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 11: Rain falls at Cleveland Browns Stadium during a weather delay prior to a preseason game between the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Browns on August 11, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Cleveland Browns have been big spenders over the past few seasons, using cap rules to add or re-sign high-priced players and push those salaries into future seasons.

That bill is coming due for the Browns this year.

Cleveland must shed some of its salaries or push those into future seasons to reduce its spending below the 2025 cap.

The Browns could also trade away some of those players to create salary cap space, and rumors about which players would be available have been abundant this offseason.

Analyst Kristopher Knox suggested a familiar name could be on the trading block for Cleveland, hinting that cornerback Greg Newsome II is a target for other teams.

“Facing a projected $34.2 million cap deficit, the Cleveland Browns have one of the league’s worst financial situations entering the offseason.  Trading Newsome would erase his entire $13.4 million salary from the books. Newsome is a much more realistic target for cornerback-needy teams. And while he did have a down year in 2024, he was terrific the previous season, allowing an opposing passer rating of just 74.8 in coverage,” Knox said.

Last year, the Browns picked up Newsome’s fifth-year option, and he’ll earn a salary above $13 million in 2025.

The Browns drafted him with the No. 26 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the cornerback has played in 54 games since arriving in Cleveland.

Newsome finished last season with 27 tackles, five pass deflections, and one interception during the 13 contests he played.

Since arriving in Cleveland, Newsome has yet to play every game during a single season.