The Cleveland Browns made a notable move to open up training camp by inking CB Denzel Ward to a two-year extension making him the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL. There’s a good chance the Browns aren’t done handing out extensions, and another one could soon be coming down the pipe. 

Safety Grant Delpit is in the final year of his three-year, $36 million deal with the Browns and will be an unrestricted free agent next March. Delpit has been one of the better and more consistent players on some good Browns defenses the last few seasons. Entering his seventh season overall after missing all of 2020 with injury, the former LSU Tiger could soon be given a third contract by the Browns. 

Cleveland has rookie safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the mix now along with Ronnie Hickman to be Cleveland’s top three safeties along with Delpit. Hickman is on a one-year restricted free agent deal with the Browns, and Cleveland could end up deciding to go with Delpit and McNeil-Warren as its two operating safeties in the future. While Delpit is now making money equal to $12 million per season, his next deal is going to come with a pay increase. 

At the moment, Delpit is the NFL’s 16th highest-paid safety. He’s not going to touch the $18 million Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker got, but he’s going to come in higher than the $13 million Houston Texans’ Jalen Pitre received. Delpit lacks the ball production Baker had before his new deal, with two interceptions over three years, and he hasn’t matched the four he had in 2022. Delpit does have health on his side after a tough early career injury, he’s missed just one game in the last two seasons. 

Initial offer: 3-year, $42 million ($14 million per year)

To come together on what a contract will look like in the end, I brought in Kyle Crabbs to take on the job of being Delpit’s rep essentially in these negotiations. 

Grant Delpit’s pitch to the Browns on an extension 

Grant has been a consistent starter for the Browns. Quality safety play has started to garner more respect across the NFL in recent years and we firmly believe that Grant’s going to continue to play to the standard he’s set over the past several seasons. In the first two years of his prior three-year extension, Grant has averaged nearly 1,000 snaps per season. He’ll be 28 years old in September, leaving him firmly in his prime window.

We do understand this will likely necessitate another three-year extension, which we’re comfortable with as it leaves Grant in a window to potentially pursue an additional contract before reaching too deep into his mid-30s. 

Grant last signed for an annual average of $12 million per season back in December of 2023, which was equivalent to 5.3% of that year’s salary cap ($224.8 million). We see no reason to consider Grant having failed to live up to that standard. He’s stayed healthy, he’s cut his missed tackle rate to 10% across 2,000 snaps. And he’s continued to diversify his skill set as a player. At a MINIMUM, we feel he should be valued at an equal AAV% of cap to his last contract. 

The numbers equate to approximately $16 million annually in new money. That would slot him behind Derwin James ($25.2M AAV) and Budda Baker ($18M AAV) among active safety contracts signed for a player aged 27 or older. Our ask is a 3-year, $48M contract extension with $20 million fully guaranteed: a $4M cash raise this year (he’s currently owed $12M) and a fully-guaranteed $16M compensation for 2027. This would keep Grant proportionate on a sliding scale to his prior contract commitment from the Browns amid a growing salary cap.

Browns should keep a veteran leader around for the foreseeable future 

In the end, the Browns should want to keep a vocal leader on its defense that wants to be in Cleveland. Losing Garrett was tough, but some were okay with it because he never developed into a strong leader. Delpit is more of the leader type and that means something for the Browns, a team that hasn’t had much to hang its hat on in terms of those kinds of players. Delpit will turn just 28 this season and a three-year deal into the early 30s is favorable for the player. 

Meeting somewhere in the middle feels right here for the Browns and Delpit. Jevon Holland got a three-year, $45.3 million deal from the New York Giants as a free agent in 2025 that puts him as the No. 10 paid safety currently at 26 years old. Delpit trumps Holland as a tackler, in terms of availability, and they have similar ball protection over the last three years. 

Where I think the Browns should hold some leverage is because they don’t have to pay Delpit. If McNeil-Warren is the player they think he is, he could be their top safety at some point during his rookie contract. The Browns also have a capable safety in Hickman they could bring back after this season, surely cheaper barring a major breakout season for the former undrafted free agent. 

Making Delpit the 10th highest-paid safety at $15.2 million on a three-year deal makes sense for both sides. It gives Delpit security in 2026 with a fully guaranteed year, and the Browns ensure they’ll have their versatile safety in the field. 

Ideal accepted contract: 3-year, $45.6 million