Denzel Ward wants to remain with the Cleveland Browns even after the team traded his long-time teammate, star defensive end Myles Garrett, to the Los Angeles Rams.
Ward affirmed his status when asked about his future at his inaugural celebrity softball game on June 6.
“I definitely still want to be here,” Ward said, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “Myles is a good friend of mine, a great teammate, but things aren’t lost. It’s Ohio against the world. So people could doubt us, but we’re going out there still trying to play our best ball and bring wins to the city.”
Ward had been teammates with Garrett since arriving in Cleveland as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The duo played eight seasons together and helped lead the Browns to a stellar 2025 season during which they ranked fourth in defensive EPA allowed per play, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
After Garrett’s departure, Ward becomes the Browns’ longest-tenured defensive player. The 29-year-old is clearly looking forward to operating in that role and seemed hopeful about helping to turn things around in Cleveland.
At the same time, Ward acknowledged how rapidly things can change in the NFL and that he won’t have any control over whether he will eventually be traded.
“I could get traded, but I don’t really look too much into that stuff,” Ward said, per Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com. “It’s the nature of the game. Say I do get traded – I feel, for me, like wherever I’m at that’s where I’m supposed to be. So if I’m here, I’m supposed to be here. If I go to a different team, that’s where I’m supposed to be. But I love playing for the Cleveland Browns. I want to be here. I’m grateful – wherever I’m at, whatever opportunity I get to go play football, that’s what I do.”
The good news for Ward? Browns general manager Andrew Berry implied the team wouldn’t be entertaining trade offers for Ward even after dealing Garrett.
“Denzel’s been great throughout the offseason. His communication’s been good. a big part of the team, and we like him a lot,” Berry said at a June 2 news conference. “He’s still playing at a really high level. That doesn’t change with this transaction.”
With that in mind, it seems like Ward will remain in Cleveland at least for the two years remaining on the five-year, $100.5 million extension he inked with the Browns in 2022.
Denzel Ward contract details
Below are the full details of Ward’s contract with the Browns, which runs through the 2027 NFL season.
- Term: 5 years
- Total contract value: $100.5 million
- Average annual value (AAV): $20.1 million
- Guaranteed money: $71.25 million
Ward is set to make $20 million in cash during the 2026 NFL season with a $16.9 million base salary and a $30.9 million cap hit, per Spotrac.com. His cap hit will drop slightly in 2027, when he will carry a cap hit of just under $30 million.
Ward is set to be a free agent in 2028, but his contract has attached to it three void years. That helps to defray his present-year cap hits but means the Browns will take on a cap hit of just over $9.2 million in 2028 even if Ward doesn’t re-sign with the team.
Denzel Ward stats
Ward has been a Pro Bowler in five of his eight NFL seasons, including each of the last three campaigns. Below is a look at the stats he has racked up across his eight-year career to date.’
- Games: 110
- Tackles: 361
- TFL: 13
- Sacks: 0.5
- Interceptions: 18
- Pass defenses: 104
- Forced fumbles: 4
- Fumble recoveries: 6
- Defensive TDs: 4
Ward is coming off a season during which he totaled 39 tackles, one interception and nine pass defenses while allowing a 89.7 passer rating. He graded as Pro Football Focus‘ 67th-best cornerback out of 112 qualifiers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Myles Garrett trade won’t impact Denzel Ward’s status with Browns
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