The Cleveland Browns may have a lot of moving pieces this summer because of the eight picks in the NFL draft and the extremely flexible salary budget. The news on Friday of a significant increase to the NFL salary cap in 2024 altered the available free agency options for General Manager Andrew Berry.
Cleveland needs all the room they can get because they have some highly paid players and 26 pending free agents, some of whom they should try to sign right immediately.
The cost of the fifth-year option for first-round players in the 2021 NFL draft, such as CB Greg Newsome II, is determined by the 2024 salary cap. Depending on whether a player from the draft made two Pro Bowls, one Pro Bowl, fulfilled playing time requirements, or none of the above, their fifth year is computed accordingly.
The 33rd Team reports that Newsome is worth $13,377,000 because he has fulfilled the playtime requirements. Among the five cornerbacks chosen in the first round of that year, Patrick Surtain II was a multiple Pro Bowl player, and Newsome fulfilled the requirements for playing time, but
Cleveland has till May 2nd to decide what to do with Newsome. It is then assured if they choose to accept his choice for 2025. At the end of this season, he will be a free agent if they reject his option.
T.J. Watt is still consumed by his disappointment about missing out on winning the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award for the second time this month.
Earlier this month, the Steelers standout finished second in the competition for the award, losing to Myles Garrett of the Browns, a rival pass rusher.
This week, Watt made it plain that he has no animosity towards Garrett when he questioned the methods used to select the winner on the Pardon My Take podcast.
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