The Opening Drive 7/14: Delpit’s Contract Status, and Two Other with Second Contracts Looming

Where does Grant Delpit stand in extension negotiations. Plus, will McGuire and Hickman secure a second contract with the Browns this year?

Jul 14, 2026

∙ Paid

When Browns fans talk about contract extensions, the focus naturally goes to players like Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit. Both have already established themselves as pillars of the defense, and while both did show up to mandatory minicamp and for Delpit most of OTA’s, neither participated in anything outside of individual drills, which often is a sign that the player is holding-in. For years, when a player wanted a new or restructured contract, they would just stay away from the offseason program and, oftentimes, training camp in what was known as a hold-out until the player was able to negotiate the contract they were looking for or until both sides acknowledged they had reached an impasse and agreed to cease negotiations until a later date so the player could return to camp and prepare for the season.

It was really a giant game of chicken between the front office and the player. The better and more valuable the player, the more leverage they had, which potentially hurt the team’s ability to prepare for the upcoming season by staying away from camp. and the more likely that the two sides would reach an agreement. Ultimately, though, when push comes to shove, the team knows the player has a limited window to make money in their NFL career and cannot afford to miss out on game checks, so the player would be forced to return and play under the existing contract; however, this often was a sign that the two sides could be parting ways when the player became a free agent. Free agency shifts the scales of leverage back to the player as they can seek their desired payday from another team.

Article 42 of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement introduced hefty fines beginning in 2020 for missing mandatory minicamp and fined players between $40,000 and $50,000 a day for missing a day of training camp. Article 42 of the CBA also forbids teams from forgiving these fines. Prior to 2020, if a player was fined for missing camp, the team would either forgive the fine or pay it itself once an agreement was reached or the player reported to camp. These fines lead to the hold-in. $50,000 a day adds up fast, so players will now report on time to avoid being fined but will elect to sit out practice, meetings, or certain drills until someone makes a concession or a deal is agreed upon. How far these hold-ins vary based on the situation, so it’s not clear where Ward and Delpit stand with the Browns.

From what I have gathered, they have both been offered new contracts, but neither is satisfied with the negotiations at this point. Delpit only has this season left on his deal, and while he doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal, he did collect a $10.02 million option bonus on the third day of the 2026 league year. A nice way to get him money in advance of the 2026 season, but it still leaves him with very little during the 2026 season. The Browns did wait to pay Delpit his 3-year, $36 million extension until December of his final season on his rookie deal. The injury he suffered in 2020 forced him to miss all of his rookie campaign, leading the Browns to make him prove it in the first two months of the fourth and final season of his rookie contract, ultimately rewarding him with an extension midseason.

Ward is under contract for 2026 and 2027, but there is no guaranteed money left on his existing deal. He did get his $2.5 million option bonus back in March on the third day of the league year, which the Browns converted into a signing bonus, reducing his cap number by $2 million. He is due the same in March of 2027, with $16.9 million in base salary this year and $17.4 million in 2027. Still, Ward surely wants a new deal with new money and guarantees, but it’s not as dire as Delpit’s situation.

I have to believe that the Browns want Delpit, who will play this season at age 28, to be a part of this defense for a couple more seasons, the questions is if they can get Delpit to take more team friendly deal before the season or will they make him wait and prove he is the fit they want him to be in Mike Rutenberg’s defense before likely giving him a very similar deal to his last one.

He strikes me as exactly the kind of safety Rutenberg will covet, and his experience amid the Browns youth movement would be of significant value as well.

The two other Browns defenders who enter their final years under contract this season without an extension in place are Isaiah McGuire and Ronnie Hickman.

Both are entering the final year before unrestricted free agency. McGuire is set to play out the final season of his rookie contract, and Hickman returns on the one-year restricted free agent tender the Browns placed on him this offseason, positioning himself to hit unrestricted free agency next spring if a long-term deal isn’t reached.

For both players, this isn’t just about putting together another productive season. It’s about convincing Andrew Berry and the Browns that they’re worth investing in as part of the next era of this defense.

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