Charles Woodson Reportedly Nearing 0.1% Purchase of Browns from Haslam Family

Former NFL player Charles Woodson is reportedly on the verge of becoming a part-owner of the Cleveland Browns.

Even if it is for a very small part of the team.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Thursday that Woodson is nearing a deal to purchase 0.1 percent of the AFC North team from the Haslam family in a sale that will feature some of the same restrictions that Tom Brady faces as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders:

Woodson would face those restrictions because he, like Brady, works as a member of the media for Fox Sports.

The restrictions include not being allowed inside another team's facility, not being allowed to watch practice, not being allowed to attend broadcast production meetings and not being allowed to use one's position in the media to violate the NFL's anti-tampering rules.

While Woodson never played for the Browns during his career, he is from northern Ohio.

The No. 4 overall pick of the 1998 NFL draft played 11 years for the Oakland Raiders and seven years for the Green Bay Packers. His resume included a Super Bowl title, a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a Defensive Player of the Year award, nine Pro Bowl selections and three First-Team All-Pro nods.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame inside his home state as a member of the class of 2021.

Woodson would bring a championship pedigree to a Browns team looking to turn things around after going 3-14 in 2024. Cleveland has won one playoff game since the 1994 campaign and is traditionally among the worst teams in the league.

Its quarterback room will be a primary focus this offseason with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and the defense will likely have to be strong if Cleveland plans on contending in a difficult AFC North in 2025.

Perhaps bringing in a legendary defensive player as a part owner will help inspire that defense to elevate its game even more during the upcoming campaign.