The Cleveland Browns have once again completed a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After both teams were involved in the biggest trade of the 2025 NFL Draft, they have combined for another trade just six months later.
The Browns have sent cornerback Greg Newsome – the team’s first-round pick from 2021 – and a sixth in exchange for Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell – a second-round pick in 2021 – and a seventh.
This move comes after Cleveland traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the week.
With the team sitting at 1-4 and trading multiple players away, a lot of people have assumed the Browns are having a fire-sale to open up the chance for tanking.
This is not the case.
Joe Flacco trade
When the Browns traded Flacco to the Bengals, they had already benched him for rookie Dillon Gabriel. The veteran would have remained the back-up for the foreseeable future.
The Browns were reportedly surprised by the Bengals’ call and felt that the offer was too good to turn down. They gained a fifth-round pick in exchange for a sixth and a one-year rental of a 40-year-old quarterback.
This was the first trade between the in-state rivals since the Browns returned to play in 1999.
The Bengals lost their starting quarterback for the season and believe Flacco can fill that role and hopefully lead them to the playoffs.
For the Browns, the move showed a commitment to youth. The team clearly want to see what they have in both their rookie quarterbacks this year.
After Gabriel threw for the same number of touchdowns in his debut as Flacco did in the previous four games, the team should feel confident in their youthful approach.
Greg Newsome trade
Player-for-player trades at the same position are quite rare in the NFL. Yet the Browns and Jaguars have now swapped cornerbacks from the same 2021 draft class.
A head-scratcher for many, this move indicates the Browns’ desire to get cheaper at the position while retaining some level of talent within the room.
Newsome is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, and a contract extension would have likely been in the $15–20 million a year range.
While the Browns could have afforded the extension, it was not certain whether Newsome would re-sign or whether that price tag could increase with improved play in 2025.
Tyson Campbell signed a four-year $76.5 million contract extension with the Jags last year and is under contract until 2029.
Doing the maths
You might be wondering how on earth Campbell is cheaper than Newsome, based on those numbers. That is where the world of NFL accounting comes in.
The Jaguars have already paid nearly half of Campbell’s total contract through guaranteed money.
Newsome was due $9.6 million for the remainder of the season, whereas Campbell is only due $1.4 million. This saves the Browns $8.2 million in 2025 alone. In 2026, Campbell’s cap number is just $4 million.
After 2026, the Browns will no longer owe Campbell any guaranteed money and could opt out of the remainder of the contract for zero cost.
With both players having a similar level of production in the NFL, this trade has provided the Browns a cheaper option at the position without suffering a drop-off in on-the-field production.
It also provides them more control over the room. Campbell is signed through to 2029, whereas Newsome is set to become a free agent.
Fire-sale?
For a lot of teams, trading away a veteran quarterback and starting cornerback after starting the season 1-4 would signify a fire-sale.
Bad teams have historically traded away good players for future assets when their seasons have gone astray.
However, this does not appear to be the case for the Browns. After an incredibly strong start to the season for the Browns’ 2025 rookie class, the team has shown its commitment in its young talent.
Trading away Flacco furthers this commitment, and does not change the team’s goals for the season.
If the Browns were running a fire-sale, they would have just traded Newsome for picks instead of taking on a starting-calibre player with a long-term contract.
The team entered the 2025 season in a transition period after the Deshaun Watson disaster and team collapse in 2024. Neither of the moves the team has made this week have indicated a change in direction for the team’s plans this season.
With the financial burden of Watson’s contract still on the books, the Browns continue finding ways to get younger and cheaper.
