Denzel Ward Just Got Paid $62.2 Million. That Makes Him the Highest-Paid DB Ever Again.

Denzel Ward just reset the market for defensive backs. Again.

The Browns cornerback agreed to a two-year, $62.2 million extension that makes him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history for the second time in his career. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke the news. The deal includes $52.3 million guaranteed, per Rapoport. That number alone is eye-popping.

Tory Dandy of AthletesFirst handled the negotiations. And Cleveland clearly wanted to lock up its Pro Bowl corner before the market climbed even higher.

The numbers are staggering

There’s a lot of money floating around the NFL right now. But $52.3 million guaranteed for a cornerback is legitimately rare. Ward has already been the highest-paid DB once before, on his rookie extension. Now he’s done it twice. That’s not common.

Ward was the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft out of Ohio State. He’s been to the Pro Bowl three times. He’s also missed games here and there due to injuries. The Browns are betting that his best football is still ahead of him.

Cleveland’s defense has been built around Myles Garrett and Ward for a while now. This deal keeps one half of that foundation in place.

What this means for the rest of the league

Other teams with young corners due for extensions are probably watching this closely. Sauce Gardner, Pat Surtain II, and Jaire Alexander all have new deals coming eventually. Ward’s contract just set a new ceiling.

The Browns are in win-now mode. Deshaun Watson’s contract is massive. Garrett’s deal is massive. Now Ward’s extension is massive. That’s a lot of cap space tied up in three players. But Cleveland is clearly comfortable with that math.

We’ll see how the structure of the deal looks when the full details come out. That $52.3 million guaranteed number is the headline right now. And it’s a big one.