Dallas Cowboys The
Dallas Cowboys selected Newman in the first round (fifth overall) of the
2003 NFL draft. As the fifth overall pick, Newman became Kansas State's highest draft pick in school history, surpassing
Clarence Scott who was drafted 14th overall by the
Cleveland Browns in the
1971 NFL draft. He entered the league as a 25-year-old rookie.
2003 On July 24, 2003, the Dallas Cowboys signed Newman to a six–year, $18.41 million contract that includes a
signing bonus of $13 million. The contract is worth up to $33 million with incentives and includes a seventh–year option. He entered training camp slated as the No. 2 starting cornerback following the departure of
Bryant Westbrook. Head coach
Bill Parcells named him as the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season, alongside
Mario Edwards. On September 7, 2003, Newman made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start in the
Dallas Cowboys' home-opener against the
Atlanta Falcons and recorded five solo tackles and made one pass deflection during their 27–13 loss. He tied the franchise record for most interceptions in a single game. He started in all 16 games throughout the
2003 NFL season and finished with a total of 76 combined tackles (66 solo), 14 pass deflections, four interceptions, and a sack. The Dallas Cowboys finished second in the
NFC East with a 10–6 record and received a wildcard berth. On January 3, 2004, Newman started his first career playoff game and recorded five solo tackles in the Cowboys' 29–10 loss at the
Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wildcard Game. Due to injuries, Newman was paired with multiple different cornerbacks throughout the season, including Pete Hunter (3),
Lance Frazier (8),
Tyrone Williams (2), and
Jacques Reeves (1). In Week 6, Newman collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (11 solo) during a 24–20 loss against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. On December 26, 2004, he made three solo tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception in the Cowboys' 13–10 victory against the
Washington Redskins in Week 16. He finished the season with 68 combined tackles (64 solo), 15 pass deflections, and four interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.
2005 Defensive coordinator
Mike Zimmer retained Newman as the No. 1 cornerback to begin the regular season, alongside
Anthony Henry. In Week 2, Newman collected five solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made an interception during a 14–13 loss to the
Washington Redskins. He finished the
2005 season with 59 combined tackles (56 solo), 14 passes defensed, three interceptions, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts.
2006 Head coach Bill Parcells retained Newman and Anthony Henry as the starting cornerback duo in 2006. In Week 7, he collected a season-high six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in the Cowboys' 36–22 loss to the
New York Giants. On December 10, 2006, Newman recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 42–17 loss to the
New Orleans Saints in Week 14. On December 31, 2006, Newman had two solo tackles and two punt returns for 56-yards and a touchdown in a 39–31 loss to the
Detroit Lions in Week 17. He returned a punt for a 56-yard touchdown in the third quarter to mark the first score of his career. Newman completed the season with 63 combined tackles (53 solo), 11 pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.
2007 On January 23, 2007, head coach
Bill Parcells announced his retirement from coaching after the Cowboys finished with a 9–7 record in 2006 and were defeated 21–20 by the
Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wildcard Game due to a fumbled snap on a rain slicked field by Tony Romo during an extra point. New head coach
Wade Phillips officially named Newman and Anthony Henry the starting cornerbacks to begin the season, with
Jacques Reeves filling in for Newman during his absence. Newman developed
plantar fasciitis in his foot during the preseason and was inactive for the rest of the preseason and the first two regular season games (Weeks 1–2). On October 8, 2007, Newman recorded five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during the Cowboys' 25–24 comeback victory at the
Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Newman made a key interception off a pass deflection by teammate
DeMarcus Ware. Ware deflected a pass by quarterback
Trent Edwards and Newman returned it for a 70-yard gain in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown pass by
Tony Romo as the Cowboys were down 24–16. The Cowboys defeated the Bills after a last second 37-yard field goal by
Nick Folk and advanced to a 5–0 record. On December 19, 2007, it was announced that Newman was named to the
2008 Pro Bowl as part of the NFC team. Newman finished the season with 50 combined tackles (44 solo), 13 passes defensed, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a touchdown in 13 games and 11 starts. Newman entered training camp slated as the No. 1 cornerback, but was unable to participate due to a groin injury. He was replaced by newly-acquired free agent
Adam Jones and rookie first round draft pick
Mike Jenkins. He was inactive for the
Cowboys' season-opening victory in
Cleveland. Newman aggravated his groin injury and missed the next five games (Week 5–9). On October 10, Newman underwent sports hernia surgery. He returned in Week 12 and recorded a season-high seven combined tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception during a 14–10 victory in
Washington. On December 14, Newman collected six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two of
Eli Manning's passes in the Cowboys' 20–8 victory over the
New York Giants in Week 15. He completed the season with 37 combined tackles (32 solo), 11 pass deflections, and four interceptions in ten games, all of which he started. He started in the
Dallas Cowboys' season-opener at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and recorded a season-high nine combined tackles in their 34–21 victory. On September 28, 2009, Newman collected four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and returned an interception during a 21–7 victory in Week 3. He intercepted a pass by
Jake Delhomme and returned for a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Newman completed the season with 57 combined tackles (52 solo), a career-high 18 pass deflections, three interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts.
2010 Newman and Jenkins returned as the starting cornerbacks to begin the 2010 season. On October 25, 2010, Newman made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception during a 41–35 loss at the
New York Giants in Week 5. He intercepted a pass by Eli Manning and sustained a rib injury during the 30-yard return. He reportedly played through the injury for the remainder of the season. On November 9, 2010, the Dallas Cowboys fired head coach Wade Phillips after they fell to a 1–7 record. Offensive coordinator
Jason Garrett was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. On November 25, 2010, Newman recorded a season-high eight solo tackles and a pass deflection in the Cowboys' 30–27 loss to the
New Orleans Saints in Week 12. In Week 17, Newman made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by quarterback
Kevin Kolb during a 14–13 victory at the
Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the season with a career-high 79 combined tackles (77 solo), nine pass deflections, and a career-high five interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts. In Week 8, Newman recorded a season-high six solo tackles during a 34–7 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles. On November 13, 2011, Newman made three combined tackles, two pass deflections, intercepted two passes by
Ryan Fitzpatrick, and returned one for a touchdown in the Cowboys' 44–7 victory against the
Buffalo Bills in Week 10. He completed the season with 53 combined tackles (45 solo), 11 pass deflections, three interceptions, and a touchdown in 14 games and 14 starts.
2012 On March 13, 2012, the Dallas Cowboys released Newman in a salary cap related decision that freed up $4 to $6 million in cap space.
Cincinnati Bengals On April 11,
2012, the
Cincinnati Bengals signed Newman to a one-year, $825,000 contract with $150,000 guaranteed. Throughout training camp, he competed for a job as a starting cornerback against
Leon Hall,
Jason Allen,
Dre Kirkpatrick,
Nate Clements, and
Adam Jones. All six players were former first round picks from 2001 to 2012. Head coach
Marvin Lewis named Newman the third cornerback on the depth chart and first-team nickelback to begin the season, behind Leon Hall and Nate Clements. On September 16, 2012, Newman collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) during a 34–27 win against the
Cleveland Browns in Week 2. In Week 6, he tied his season-high of ten combined tackles (seven solo) in the Bengals' 34–24 loss at the Cleveland Browns. On November 4, 2012, Newman made four combined tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by
Peyton Manning during a 31–23 loss to the
Denver Broncos in Week 9. He was inactive for the Bengals' Week 17 victory against the
Baltimore Ravens due to a
groin injury. Newman finished the season with 75 tackles (53 solo), ten passes defensed (led the team), two interceptions, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 15 games and 15 starts. On April 1, 2013, the Cincinnati Bengals re-signed Newman to a two-year, $5 million contract with $1.40 million guaranteed. Newman entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback after the Bengals opted to not re-sign Nate Clements. Head coach Marvin Lewis officially named Newman and Leon Hall the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season, ahead of Dre Kirkpatrick and Adam Jones. In Week 3, Newman recorded a season-high six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 34–30 victory against the
Green Bay Packers. He was inactive for three games (Weeks 15–17) after spraining his MCL in Week 14. He completed the season with 52 combined tackles (45 solo), 11 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 13 games and 13 starts. Head coach Marvin Lewis opted to retain Newman and Leon Hall as the starting cornerbacks to begin the 2014 regular season. In Week 2, Newman collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (eight solo) and three pass deflections during a 24–10 victory against the
Atlanta Falcons. In Week 10, he made five combined tackles before exiting in the third quarter of the Bengals' 24–3 loss to the
Cleveland Browns. Newman injured his chest during the game and was inactive for the Bengals' Week 11 victory at the
Cleveland Browns. Newman was also sidelined for the Bengals' Week 15 victory at the
New Orleans Saints. He started in Week 16, but went on to be sidelined for a Week 17 loss at the
Pittsburgh Steelers during their season finale. The
Cincinnati Bengals finished second in the
AFC North with a 10–5–1 record and clinched a wildcard berth. On January 4, 2015, Newman started in the AFC Wildcard Game and recorded three solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 26–10 loss to the
Indianapolis Colts. This was his last appearance with the Cincinnati Bengals. He selected to join the Vikings and reunite with head coach
Mike Zimmer. Newman played under Zimmer with three different teams, including the Dallas Cowboys (
2003–
2006), Cincinnati Bengals (
2012–
2014), and Minnesota Vikings. Throughout training camp, Newman competed for a job as a starting cornerback against
Captain Munnerlyn and
2015 rookie first round pick
Trae Waynes. Head coach Mike Zimmer named Newman a starting cornerback to begin the regular season, along with
Xavier Rhodes. Newman made his
Minnesota Vikings' regular season debut in their season-opener at the
San Francisco 49ers and recorded seven solo tackles in their 20–3 loss. On November 15, 2015, Newman recorded four combined tackles, a career-high five pass deflections, and made two interceptions during a 30–14 victory at the
Oakland Raiders in Week 10. He intercepted his second pass of the day off a touchdown pass attempt by quarterback
Derek Carr that was originally intended for wide receiver
Andre Holmes in the endzone and secured it for a touchback in the fourth quarter as the Vikings led 23–14. The pick sealed their victory and earned him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award. Newman also earned the distinction of being the second player in league history to have multiple interceptions in a single game after the age of 37. During training camp, Newman competed against Trae Waynes to keep his role as a starting cornerback. Defensive coordinator
George Edwards retained Newman and Xavier Rhodes as the starting cornerback duo to begin the regular season. Waynes filled in at starter for the first two games due to a knee injury to Xavier Rhodes. Newman became the second oldest active defensive player in the league in 2016 after the retirement of
Charles Woodson during the offseason. The only defensive player in the league older than Newman was
Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker
James Harrison who was four months older. He started in the
Minnesota Vikings' season-opener at the
Tennessee Titans and recorded a season-high seven combined tackles during a 25–16 victory. In Week 10, Newman began rotating with Trae Waynes and started in two of the last seven games. Newman was inactive for the Vikings' Week 12 loss at the
Detroit Lions after injuring his neck the previous week. He ended the 2016 season with 38 combined tackles (33 solo), eight passes defended, and an interception in 15 games and ten starts He earned an overall grade of 86.4 and was ranked ninth among qualified cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus in 2016.
2017 On March 15, 2017, the Minnesota Vikings re-signed Newman to a one-year, $3.25 million contract that includes $1.50 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $500,000. During training camp, Newman competed against
Mackensie Alexander to be the first-team nickelback after it was left vacant due to the departure of
Captain Munnerlyn. Head coach
Mike Zimmer named Newman the third cornerback on the depth chart and first-team nickelback to begin the season, behind
Xavier Rhodes and
Trae Waynes. On October 15, 2017, Newman recorded a season-high five combined tackles during a 23–10 win against the
Green Bay Packers in Week 6. In Week 15, he made a solo tackle, a season-high two pass deflections, and an interception during a 34–7 win against the
Cincinnati Bengals. He finished his 2017 campaign with 35 combined tackles (25 solo), five passes defended, and an interception in 16 games and seven starts. The
Minnesota Vikings finished atop the
NFC North with a 13–3 record, clinching a first round bye and home-field advantage. They reached the NFC Championship Game after defeating the
New Orleans Saints 29–24 in the NFC Divisional Round. On January 21, 2018, Newman started in the NFC Championship Game and record four solo tackles in the Vikings' 38–7 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles.
2018 On April 30, 2018, the Minnesota Vikings signed Newman to a one-year, $1.10 million contract. On September 1, 2018, Newman announced his retirement from the NFL, and immediately joined the Vikings coaching staff. The Vikings waived Newman from their reserve/retired list on January 7, 2020, and worked him out later that week. He was not signed to a contract. ==NFL career statistics==