The Cleveland Browns have upgraded their defense in the 2021 offseason to try to bolster a side of the football that struggled in 2020. After taking care of a long-term contract extension with Myles Garrett last season, Denzel Ward could be the next defender extended by the team.
Talking to the media today after the opening of their mandatory minicamp, Ward confirmed that his agent and the Browns have had a discussion.
“Yes, he’s (Ward’s agent) having some talks” but the cornerback noted that “It is not a distraction to me, I’ll let my agent take care of that…. I’ll focus on playing football and not anything else.”
Shortly after, Ward was asked about his desire to continue playing for the Browns including whether he would like to be a “Brown for his entire career?”
“Perfect world, I’d definitely want to be a Brown for my entire career,” Ward said. “I’m from Cleveland. A team drafted me, a team that believed in me coming out of college. It’s definitely a place I want to be, I enjoy being a Cleveland Brown and giving them everything I got.”
With Garrett already locked up, the Browns have a few more important pieces to sign. Nick Chubb also shared today his interest in signing with the team long-term while Baker Mayfield, Wyatt Teller and Ronnie Harrison are also in line for extensions, if the Browns can work things out.
For now, Ward has put pressure on the front office to get something done with his statements today. He would like to sign an extension with Cleveland but he will also want to get paid handsomely to do so.