Greg Newsome II wasn’t wasting any time with one-practice-at-a-time clichés.
On the first official day of his new, one-year free agent contract with the Giants, Newsome was thinking about proving last year’s dip in performance was a fluke and how to turn his new landing spot into a permanent home.
“I feel like this is an opportunity for me to be here long term,” Newsome said. “There [were other] places that could have had a little bit longer-term deal, but I wanted to be here — and I wanted to showcase myself in front of the New York fan base, coaches and players. I’m excited to start fresh here now, and hopefully we get something done where I can retire a Giant because that’s what I want to do.”
Cor’Dale Flott’s free agent departure to the Titans (three years, $45 million) leaves a hole at the cornerback spot opposite Paulson Adebo.
Once Flott’s price tag became too rich, the Giants pivoted to upside and found a 25-year-old former first-round pick eager to accept $3 million guaranteed on a deal worth up to $10 million.
“I’m the ultimate team guy,” Newsome said. “Obviously, everyone wants to be a starter. My expectation is to try to work as hard as I can to become the starter. But it’s March. My goal right now is to get all the guys together, build this locker room.”
Newsome’s best seasons were with the Browns, where he battled head coach John Harbaugh’s Ravens twice per year.
He had as many interceptions as touchdowns allowed (two) and held quarterbacks to a 66.8 passer rating over 14 games in 2023.
“When I [saw] him having this opportunity to come here, this was one of my first places I wanted to be,” Newsome said before reflecting on the AFC North rivalry. “It was always a hard-nosed game. That’s the type of person [Harbaugh] is. That’s the type of team that we’re going to be a part of this year. That was something I was definitely super excited about.”
Unable to reach an extension with Newsome, the Browns traded him to the Jaguars in Week 6 of last season and things went south.
Newsome was benched in back-to-back games and finished the season with 50 catches allowed for 624 yards and five touchdowns as well as a 104.9 quarterback rating when targeted, per NextGenStats.
“It was definitely hard, but [the trade] was something that was needed,” Newsome said. “Everything isn’t going to be peaches and cream in this business. I thought I started off the season on a very high note. To then get traded to a new place, it was definitely challenging to adjust. I didn’t finish the way I wanted to.”
Even then, Newsome had an eye on the Giants as an “up-and-coming team” with quarterback Jaxson Dart’s “energy.”
“He was growing tremendously last year, so that was something that I wanted to be a part of,” Newsome said. “Then we’ve got a lot of guys on that [defensive] front that can rush the passer and do a lot of great things. In the secondary, we’re all pretty young and have a lot of potential. That was something that really intrigued me.”
First-year Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson believes in pressing receivers at the line of scrimmage but leaned heavily on zone coverage during his two years calling plays for the Titans.
Newsome offers inside-outside versatility, but the Giants are penciling him in on the perimeter.
The next-best in-house option right now is first-round draft bust Deonte Banks.
“My strong suit in Cleveland was playing man-to-man — getting in people’s face and challenging guys,” Newsome said. “If you’re not trying to improve on everything, then you’re not trying to be a great player. We’re going to be aggressive, and that’s how I like playing.”
Newsome is getting married this offseason.
But he thinks he’s found a second reliable union with the Giants that will bring out the best in him.
“It’s mindset first,” he said. “Just being comfortable somewhere — somewhere where I know that I’m wanted, where I want to be at. I think that’s the beginning. I know I can get back to that [top] form.”