Browns Make Big Contract Move With New CB

The Cleveland Browns had a lot of needs going into this offseason, but luckily GM Andrew Berry addressed most of them to put the team in a solid position heading into Week 1 of the 2026 season. The obvious issues were the need for a new offensive line and some new weapons at wide receiver, but another underlying issue was the lack of depth at cornerback.

Berry prioritized fortifying the starting secondary by blessing Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit with contract extensions, so now Ward and Tyson Campbell are locked in as the starting corners for years to come. Behind them, Berry brought in some reinforcements as well, and one of those new corners recently restructured his contract to create a little more cap space for the team.

Jack Duffin shared that corner Mekhi Blackmon has renegotiated his contract. He is now slated to make quite a bit less than originally projected, though he does have some incentives to bump that number back up.

“Browns CB Mekhi Blackmon has renegotiated his contract. Rather than $3.674m he was set to make. He will now earn $1.075m ($200k guaranteed). There are incentives to earn at least another $250k,” Duffin posted.

#Browns CB Mekhi Blackmon has renegotiated his contract

Rather than $3.674m he was set to make

He will now earn $1.075m ($200k guaranteed)

There are incentives to earn at least another $250k

— Jack Duffin (@JackDuffin) September 10, 2026

Blackmon was waived by the Indianapolis Colts just a few weeks ago despite starting 11 games last season. He appeared in all 17 games and made 64 tackles while reeling in a pair of interceptions as well, so the Browns are getting a proven contributor to add to the equation.

It’s not awesome news for Blackmon himself, but this is the harsh reality of playing in the NFL. He had no leverage in this negotiation since he was just waived, and if he refused the pay reduction, it’s likely he’d be waived again.

The former third-rounder out of USC could be first in line for snaps after Ward and Campbell and he deserves credit for sacrificing for the team already. He still has a lot to offer at 27 years old, so let’s see what new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg can do with him. Hopefully, he can produce a lot of speed, violence, and execution, just like fellow newcomer Quincy Williams wants to see from this defense.