On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Browns reached a big deal with one of their best players.Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward inked a two-year extension worth $62.2 million. For the second time in Ward’s career, he’s the highest-paid defensive back in the history of the NFL.The Browns opened up training camp on Wednesday and Ward was on the practice field. The 29-year-old acknowledged that he wasn’t active during voluntary OTAs or mandatory veteran minicamp as part of negotiations for this big contract.Even after the Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason, Ward wanted to be in Cleveland. The Nordonia High School alumni and Ohio State Buckeyes standout has never played football outside of Ohio, and even after Garrett’s departure, wanted to remain with the Browns.Ward wanted to be in Cleveland“I’m from Cleveland, this is the city I’m from, and I’ve always played in Ohio, I’m an Ohio kid,” Ward said. “I’m just grateful to be able to come and play for my hometown team, you know, not many people get to do that.”Ward said the city deserves it, deserves wins, and he wants to be a part of the turnaround once the Browns get this organization moving in the right direction. He wasn’t focused on trade rumors that have persisted following Garrett’s departure. “If it came to the point to where I needed to be traded, I think I would focus more on it then,” Ward said. “That didn’t come about yet. And I could still get traded. That’s the NFL. Things happen. But I just deal with it as stuff comes.”The Browns aren’t planning on trading Ward, even though he’s right, he still could be traded. He wouldn't comment on whether or not he wanted a no trade clause to be included in the contract.“As long as they’ve got me here, I’m going to be that guy here and continue to play hard and try to get wins for the city,” Ward said.Already, Ward’s extension with the Browns has faced some criticism, as he’s the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, even though there’s some debate on if he’s really the best defensive back in the league. “I feel like I always get kind of put down on the rankings lower than I should be,” Ward said. “There’s a lot of talented guys, but I do feel like I’m that No. 1 guy in the league.”Ward said he feels like his numbers speak for how talented he is. During his eight seasons in Cleveland, the longest-tenured member of the Browns has 361 total tackles, 18 interceptions and 104 passes defended. He’s played in five Pro Bowls, including three straight selections.The Browns are hoping Ward can keep this defense as one of the top units in the NFL.“At this point, which is really cool, is you get paid for what we anticipate to get,” Browns head coach Todd Monken said. “Nobody pays somebody for what they’ve done. You’re still anticipating that he’s going to play at a high level, which I see nothing that will stop him from being at an elite level.”Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow