Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward has made it clear he wants to stay as the team moves into the post-Myles Garrett era.
"I definitely still want to be here," Ward said Saturday at his celebrity softball game, according to Dan Labbe of cleveland.com. "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 this city."
The Browns reportedly aren't in fire-sale mode despite dealing Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, and they're not making Ward available for trade.
Ward has two years remaining on a five-year, $100.5-million extension he signed in 2022. It still remains one of the richest contracts signed by a cornerback in NFL history; only Sauce Gardner and Trent McDuffie have inked contracts with more total salary.
However, Ward has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal before it expires at the end of the 2027 campaign. Trading him before the season would free up over $17 million against Cleveland's 2026 salary cap, according to Over The Cap.
The 29-year-old is now the longest-tenured player on the roster after Garrett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a package that included pass-rusher Jared Verse and a 2027 first-round pick.
Verse, 25, ranks third in the NFL in pressures since 2024, sitting behind only Garrett and Josh Hines-Allen, according to TruMedia.
"Crazy trade," Ward said of the blockbuster deal. "Definitely a crazy trade. I believe that you're either with us or against us, and as you see, he's not with us."
Ward added, "When the trade happened, I had reached out to Jared and just welcomed him to the city and told him if he ever needs anything just let me know. So I talked to him shortly and then I'm meeting some of the new guys here now at the game, so that's going to be fun."
Ward has suited up in 110 games and earned five Pro Bowl selections since entering the league as the fourth overall pick in 2018.
