Earlier today, we didn’t have the details of Denzel Ward’s new contract with the Cleveland Browns when we discussed what the contract could mean for the team’s salary cap. Ward’s long-term deal is likely to also impact middle-tier players like Greedy Williams and Troy Hill.
Now details of Ward’s contract have come out and, amazingly, GM Andrew Berry has lowered his cap hit for 2022 while pushing out the biggest cap hit until 2026.
Prior to his contract extension, Ward was set to count over $13 million against Cleveland’s cap in 2022. Under his new contract, he will cost just over $5 million for a savings of over $8 million in cap space.
All told this offseason, Berry has actually created more cap space with the moves that he’s made. More will be added when Austin Hooper’s contract comes off the books on June 1st and whatever savings the team gets from moving on from Baker Mayfield.
Ward’s contract details are quite interesting as shared by Pro Football Talk. Jack Duffin shares them here in more simplistic terms:
Denzel Ward Deal 💰#Browns gain $8.259m of 2022 cap pic.twitter.com/qGkTYnaqWa
— Jack Duffin (@JackDuffin) April 19, 2022
Impressively, while Ward will be well compensated, the new deal doesn’t put him at the top of the cornerback market in regards to incoming money until late in the contract:
In looking at the breakdown of Denzel Ward's contract by @ProFootballTalk it looks as if Ward won't lead corners in new money cash flows until the 5th year. I'd guess that is what got the deal done for the #Browns though it is clearly a strong contract for Ward.
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) April 19, 2022
With the salary cap expected to go up, the team and player may revisit this deal halfway through. Turning 25 the night of the 2022 NFL draft, Ward could cash in once again despite his new deal taking him into his 30s.
All and all, a great deal for both the Browns and Ward as the contract details are reviewed.
