Browns reportedly reach record 2-year, $62.2 million extension with CB Denzel Ward
The Cleveland Browns have again secured Denzel Ward.
The Browns reached a two-year, $62.2 million extension with their cornerback on Tuesday, according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. At just more than $31 million per season, the deal will make Ward the highest-paid cornerback in the league.
Ward had two years left on his five-year, $100.5 million rookie extension. The new deal will keep him in Cleveland through the 2029 campaign. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, $52.3 million of Ward's new contract is guaranteed.
Ward has spent his entire career with the Browns, who selected him with the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2018 out of Ohio State. The 29-year-old had 39 total tackles and an interception last season, his eighth in the league, and picked up his third straight Pro Bowl nod.
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Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie was the previous highest-paid cornerback in the league while earning $31 million per season. The Indianapolis Colts' Sauce Gardner was the only other CB in the league earning more than $30 million a year.
Ward was the latest player across the league to agree to a major extension Tuesday. The Philadelphia Eagles reached a four-year, $152 million deal with defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a four-year, $96 million deal with offensive lineman Brian O'Neill.
The Browns went 5-12 last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth time since Ward joined the franchise. They dealt star defensive end Myles Garrett in a trade to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this summer. The Browns, who hired head coach Todd Monken to replace Kevin Stefanski, will open the 2026 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13.
While the Browns still have significant issues to address to turn things around, Ward isn't going anywhere. He should be a key piece for their secondary for years to come.
