NFL Player Becomes Highest-Paid Cornerback in History After Signing $100M Contract
An NFL cornerback is about to make a lot of money. According to ESPN, the Cleveland Browns are signing Denzel Ward to a five-year, $100.5 million contract extension that includes $71.25 million guaranteed. Ward, 24, is now the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. He will earn an average salary of $20.1 million which is slightly more than Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey who has an average salary of $20 million per season.
Ward went to Twitter to react to his new contract. "Loss of words, I'm blessed," Ward tweeted. "I want to thank the Haslams, JW Johnson, Andrew Berry, coach Stefanski and the rest of the browns organization for continuing to to believe in the home grown kid and allowing me to represent this organization and city of Cleveland where I'm from."
In another tweet, Ward sent a message to his agent. "And big shout out and respect to my agent [Tory Dandy] of CAA sports on the work he put in to finalize my contract," he said. "Still work to be done Cleveland but I'm here to stay and work towards what we all set out to do when playing this game!" Ward is now under contract with the Browns through the 2027 season. This move comes one month after the Browns traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson and signed him to a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract.
Ward was selected by the Browns at No. 4 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft from Ohio State. He made the Pro Bowl his rookie season after recording 53 tackles three interceptions and 11 passes defended. Last year, Ward was selected to his second Pro Bowl after totaling 34 tackles three interceptions, 10 passes defended, half a sack and one defensive touchdown.
"Honestly I feel like it couldn't be written any better," Ward said shortly after being drafted by the Browns in 2018, per Dawg Pound Daily. "To grow up in Cleveland and then go to Ohio State, that's the school I wanted to play at anyway when I was in high school. And then get drafted by my hometown team, the Browns. It couldn't be written any better than that." Before joining the Browns, Ward was an All-American cornerback at Ohio State, recording 37 tackles, two interceptions and 15 passes defended in 2017.