Five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and the Cleveland Browns have agreed on a two-year, $62.2 million contract extension that includes $52.3 million guaranteed, ESPN and NFL Network reported on Tuesday.

Ward, 29, had two years left on a five-year, $100.5 million contract extension signed in 2022, though it includes no further guaranteed money.

The Browns’ longest-tenured player, Ward will earn $31.1 million annually, making him the highest-paid defensive back in league history for the second time in his career.

His annual average salary, per ESPN, edges Ward ahead of Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie, ($31 million), who was acquired in March from the Kansas City Chiefs and signed a four-year, $124 million extension. They are followed by the Indianapolis Colts’ Sauce Gardner ($30.1 million), the Houston Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. ($30 million) and the Carolina Panthers’ Jaycee Horn ($25 million), per ESPN.

A native of Macedonia, Ohio, Ward was the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Ohio State product has 361 career tackles, 18 interceptions — including two returned for touchdowns — 104 passes defended, four forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 110 regular-season games (107 starts) for the Browns. Two of those recovered fumbles turned into touchdowns.

He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

–Field Level Media

Making his first public comments since being part of a head-on car accident earlier this month, Kyle Shanahan admitted fault on Tuesday for the collision that left him with serious injuries.

The San Francisco 49ers head coach met with reporters in his office to give his side of the story after the initial news that leaked out over the weekend pinned the blame on the other driver.

A California database that tracks car accidents listed the other driver at fault for making an illegal turn. But Shanahan, 46, said that wasn’t accurate.

“I hit her,” Shanahan said. “I don’t know why it was reported that way (on the collision report database). The police report doesn’t say that.”

The accident occurred July 14 in Palo Alto and it did not become widely known — nor did the 49ers comment on it — until this past weekend in the lead-up to training camp.

“I was going 20 miles an hour,” Shanahan said. “I was not on my phone, but I dropped my phone and it was stuck in my seats. It’s on my lap and it slid off. And I went down to look for it and took my eyes off the road for two seconds. And as I was coming up, the airbags hit me in my face, and they broke my nose and then they said the visor really gashed me. … I took my eyes off the road looking for my phone, and my car veered into someone.

“It’s one of those roads where there’s no forgiveness. … When I hit her, the impact was just so, I’ll just never forget how violent it was.”

Shanahan suffered a concussion and broke his left hand, nose and three ribs in the collision. He required more than 40 stitches to his face.

The woman in the other vehicle was not harmed.

A Palo Alto police spokesperson told multiple outlets in a statement Tuesday that Shanahan was telling the truth.

“I can confirm that Kyle Shanahan’s statement that he provided is correct and that he was found at fault for the collision,” Lt. Nicolas Martinez said in the statement. “There was a clerical error in the preparation of the report that was transmitted to the State database. We are in the process of correcting that error.

“It is the officer’s discretion at the scene of the collision as to whether they issue a citation to either party. It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision. Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment.”

Shanahan is around the team but not healthy enough for full activity, so assistant head coach Chris Foerster is handling Shanahan’s duties along with the coordinators. He said although he is healing well, due to fatigue he cannot yet “stay the hours” required of an NFL head coach.

Shanahan also insisted he did not lose consciousness during the accident and was awake when receiving stitches at Stanford Hospital.

“It just crushed me hearing the girl get blamed for it,” Shanahan said. “I’m just lucky that I survived, that she didn’t get hurt and that I didn’t lose my eye.”

Shanahan enters his 10th season as head coach in San Francisco. He owns an 82-67 record in the regular season. He has a 9-5 postseason record and has guided the 49ers to a pair of Super Bowl appearances — losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020 and 2024.

–Field Level Media

Boston Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez and four relievers combined to shut down the visiting Toronto Blue Jays in a 6-1 win Sunday.

Boston, which has won 17 of its last 19 games, won a sixth straight series.

Suarez, pitching for the first time since July 5 due to a groin strain, was taken out after four scoreless innings and 64 pitches. The southpaw allowed four hits with no walks and struck out six.

Greg Weissert (3-2), Tyron Guerrero, Justin Slaten and Ryan Watson scattered five Blue Jays hits the rest of the way.

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman (4-10) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. The right-hander walked one and struck out six in 98 pitches.

Toronto has lost eight straight Gausman starts, and the 35-year-old has not won since May 22.

Boston jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third when Andruw Monasterio led off with a single off the Green Monster. He scored on a two-out single by Ceddanne Rafaela.

The Red Sox added two more in the fourth when Willson Contreras led off with a walk and Caleb Durbin singled. Romy Gonzalez laid down a bunt to sacrifice the runners to second and third, and Jarren Duran drove them both in with a single to center for a 3-0 lead.

Suarez, meanwhile, kept the Blue Jays off balance.

His only trouble came in the fourth inning when Alejandro Kirk and George Springer hit back-to-back one-out singles. Suarez, however, induced Daulton Varsho to hit into a fielder’s choice and then struck out Kazuma Okamoto looking to end the threat.

The Red Sox scored three more in the seventh.

Duran led off with a single and Monasterio walked. Carlos Narvaez bunted them over and pinch hitter Jahmai Jones doubled them both in with a drive off the wall in center.

Jones came home when Wilyer Abreu broke an 0-for-20 streak with a double off the wall in left.

The Blue Jays finally broke through in the ninth with three hits. Andres Gimenez drove in Varsho with two outs for their lone run.

–Field Level Media