All of that made a lot of sense for the Browns to make a move to sign Denzel Ward to a long-term extension now rather than later, so with both parties motivated, Cleveland was able to sign Ward to a new contract that will keep the cornerback with the Browns for five years at a cost of one hundred million with seventy-one million guaranteed.
Ward was the fourth overall pick in the 2018 draft, selected with the first-round selection obtained from Houston in the trade that allowed the Texans to move up and draft DeShaun Watson, from Ohio State and grew up in the Cleveland area, so the Browns did have a player that was motivated to work out a deal and stay home.
Still, this was no hometown discount as Ward's contract is the largest ever given to a cornerback, and although "the largest ever" kudos seem to change every day in during the off-season in sports, it does show the confidence that the Browns have in Ward and in their core players with Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, DeShaun Watson, and now Ward all signed to long-term extensions.
Ward has appeared in two Pro Bowls in his first four seasons as a Brown and has intercepted ten passes in those four seasons, three of them coming last season with the above photo showing Ward intercepting a pass in Cincinnati and running ninety-nine yards for a touchdown against the Bengals.
Ward is still only twenty-four years old and this contract seems to set him up for spending his prime years of football with the Browns.
Combining Ward with the strong play of 2021 top pick Greg Newsome at the other corner, the Browns should be excellent at arguably the most important position in today's NFL for the next few seasons and if Grant Delpit plays as well as I think I will at safety next season, Cleveland could have one of the best secondaries in the league as soon as next season.
The only concern for me with Denzel Ward's extension could be applied to any player with a new contract- will he stay healthy?
Ward played in fifteen of seventeen games last season and those games were missed due to Covid-19, in what was the best health of his career.
If Ward stays healthy, this is a reasonable contract for a number one cornerback.
By reworking Ward's deal now, the Browns were able to change Ward's hit to the 2022 cap and freed space up for a few eventual signings.
Cleveland will need to sign their draft choices of course and the cap savings could used to bring back Jadeveon Clowney and/or Jarvis Landry at5 a time when the Browns still have almost nineteen million dollars albatross of Baker Mayfield hanging around their neck on the cap.
Hanging on to Mayfield, for the time being, could have hurt the Browns' chances of adding more veterans at a time when veterans still are looking for new homes.
Working with Ward will give the Browns a bit more time to continue to shop for a new home for Mayfield and to do so without having to do so because they are desperate to make space on the cap.
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