Packers Send 49ers Newsome

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 7, 1999 / 5:22 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

As anticipated, the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday traded former starting left cornerback Craig Newsome to the San Francisco 49ers for a middle-round choice in the 2000 draft. The agreement between the two teams, which was contingent on the 49ers reaching a contract accord with Newsome, was first reported by SportsLine on Monday night.

Newsome agreed to a contract that will lower his cap figure for 1999 and he is expected to report to the 49ers on Wednesday to begin practice for the season-opener at Jacksonville. Agent Steve Weinberg did not comment on specifics of the contract, but emphasized his client felt he would benefit from the change of scenery. Newsome could challenge for a starting spot in the San Francisco secondary with the couple of weeks and might even contribute Sunday in some "nickel" packages.

The two sides had discussed the trade since Sunday and league sources told SportsLine late Monday night that the onus was on the 49ers to complete negotiations with Newsome. Later in the evening, San Francisco general manager Bill Walsh confirmed the trade talks.

San Francisco restructured the contract of at least one veteran, injured tailback Garrison Hearst, over the weekend to create some cap space. The Niners used the additional wiggle room under the spending limit to trade quarterback Jim Druckenmiller to Miami on Monday, a transaction that accelerated some of the third-year passer's original signing bonus from 1997 into this year's salary cap. Apparently, the cap maneuvers also allowed enough space to acquire Newsome.

The 49ers have one of the smallest cornerback corps in the NFL and were seeking a bigger and more physical player to bolster the position. Left cornerback Darnell Walker is 5-feet-8 and right corner McMillian just 5-7. Second-year veteran R.W. McQuarters, expected to start in "nickel" situations, is 5-9. Newsome is 6-0 and 190 pounds.

A former first-round pick of the Packers (1995), Newsome lost his starting job to third-round draft choice Mike McKenzie, and his $800,000 base salary made if difficult for Green Bay to retain him as a reserve. The Packers attempted to negotiate a salary reduction but Newsome and agent Steve Weinberg balked and indicated it might be time for the five-year veteran to move on.

The Packers this year became the first team in league history to use each of their first three draft choices on defensive backs.

Newsome has never possessed great speed, but his aggressiveness and ability to redirect receivers with his strength seemed to provide him a bright future. But he missed all but one game of the 1997 campaign after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery and has not been the sae player since. There was some sentiment in Green Bay to keep Newsome as a "nickel" safety, but Packers officials seem to agree now that a trade is the best scenario for everyone.

In four seasons, Newsome has played in 46 games, all of them starts, and has four interceptions.