The Cleveland Browns and Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward are in agreement on a two-year contract extension, according to a team source. The deal likely ensures he won’t be traded as the team’s roster rebuild continues.
ESPN was first to report the extension worth up to $62.2 million on Tuesday, the day Ward and other Cleveland veterans reported to training camp. Ward, 29, was already signed through 2027 and had been set to play 2026 on a base salary of almost $17 million.
Ward is headed into his ninth NFL season. In June, the Browns traded two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for a package that included three future draft picks and 25-year-old defensive end Jared Verse. But Ward, whom the team selected No. 4 overall in 2018, the same draft in which the Browns chose quarterback Baker Mayfield at No. 1 and running back Nick Chubb early in the second round, will stick around.
Ward grew up in Northeast Ohio and played at Ohio State before being selected by the Browns in what was a bit of a surprise pick, but Ward quietly — which is his preferred style — became one of the league’s best cornerbacks.
Ward has 18 interceptions in 110 career games and has been named to the Pro Bowl after each of the past three seasons. Though he’s had concussion issues throughout his career, Ward has only missed three games over the past two seasons.
