The Browns and Denzel Ward got a deal done before training camp practices even kicked off Tuesday, agreeing to a 2-year, $62.2 million extension that includes $52.3 million guaranteed. That works out to $31.1M per year, which makes the 5-time Pro Bowler the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history for the second time in his career.
Adam Schefter broke the news that Cleveland and Ward's camp finalized the deal Tuesday afternoon.
This isn't Ward's first rodeo at the top of the market. Back in 2022 he signed a 5-year, $100.5 million deal that made him the league's highest-paid corner at the time, leapfrogging Jalen Ramsey. He had 2 years left on that contract with no guaranteed money remaining, which is exactly the kind of leverage situation that gets a new deal done fast in Berea. Instead of running it out, the Browns just ripped it up and started over.
The number game got wild fast once the news broke, with the deal instantly resetting where every top corner in the league stands on a per-year basis.
Schefter laid out the new top-of-market cornerback pecking order after Ward's deal.
The highest-paid CBs in the NFL on a per-year basis are now: 🏈Denzel Ward: $31.1M 🏈Trent McDuffie: $31M 🏈Sauce Gardner: $30.1M 🏈Derek Stingley Jr.: $30M 🏈Jaycee Horn: $25M
Ward's $31.1M now sits ahead of Trent McDuffie ($31M), Sauce Gardner ($30.1M), Derek Stingley Jr. ($30M) and Jaycee Horn ($25M) — a group that basically represents the entire top tier of NFL cornerback play right now. Getting that whole class of players in one tweet is a good reminder just how fast the cornerback market has exploded since Ward first set the bar 3 years ago.
Ward's deal didn't even land alone — Tuesday turned into a full-blown extension day around the league, with Eagles DT Jalen Carter (4 years, $152M) and Vikings RT Brian O'Neill (4 years, $96M) also getting paid.
Schefter rounded up the day's other big extensions alongside Ward's.
Contract extensions today: 🏈Eagles DT Jalen Carter: 4-years, $152M 🏈Browns CB Denzel Ward: 2-year, $62.2M 🏈Vikings RT Brian O’Neill: 4-years, $96M
For Cleveland, locking up Ward is about keeping the one sure thing on a defense that's been the Browns' identity even as the offense has stumbled through quarterback chaos for years. Drafted 4th overall in 2018, Ward has quietly become one of the steadiest cover corners in football, and at 29 he's now getting paid twice like it. The Browns clearly aren't worried about the mileage — they just bet $52.3 million guaranteed that he's got plenty left.