CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension with defensive end Alex Wright, sources told News 5's Camryn Justice.
According to ESPN, the deal is worth $33 million, with $21 million guaranteed.
Wright, the 25-year-old edge rusher out of UAB, was a third-round pick by the Browns in the 2022 NFL Draft.
In his first four seasons with the Browns, Wright has continued to make a name for himself on the edge opposite Myles Garrett. Wright has notched 85 career tackles, 18 for loss, with nine QB hits, nine sacks, seven passes defended, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a safety.
Wright has grown as a player, all while dealing with unfortunate injuries. In 2023, Wright suffered a season-ending knee injury. Last season, he was lost for the season with a torn triceps. But through each injury, Wright has come back looking to become stronger.
It hasn't gone unnoticed by his team. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had high praise for Wright after his extension.
“Really, really proud of Alex. Alex has played really good football for us and just been derailed by a couple injuries, most notably the one last year, and was really being productive. We really missed Alex last year. Number one, he is a physical presence in the run game. He’s got great size. You know, some of our best plays on the edge are Alex taking on pullers and knocking tight ends back. And, those are things we really value. And he’s rushed really well for us, too, and been a good complement. You know, a lot of times we look at individual performances. You know, it’s hard to ignore Myles’ individual performance, but when it’s all said and done, D-line has a lot of, like, O-line components to it in that it’s the production of the group. And like an offensive line, it’s not just one guy that gets beat or one guy that has success, and it’s pretty much the same way across the defensive line, and Alex has played a really strong part of that," Schwartz said.
Wright was thrilled to have reached the deal, noting he bet on himself to keep calling Cleveland home, and that bet has paid off.
"It's life-changing. I bet on myself my second year when I purchased my home here. I pretty much laid a lot just being here. I love Cleveland. I love the fans. That's one thing I do love, I love the fans. I can't get enough of that," Wright said. "But just taking the time to just think about like, 'What do I want to do with my life? What do I want to do with my future?' And I feel like this is just the best fit for me, not only this defense but playing alongside Myles and playing under coach Schwartz and stuff like that and just seeing how close this defense is. I feel like I couldn't get that anywhere else. I feel like I grew up here. Do I want to go? No, I feel like I made it. I'm home. This is my home. I feel like just the defense that we have, I feel like I wasn't going anywhere. I didn't want to go nowhere. So I'm just glad we came to a deal ... I'm still in disbelief right now."
Justice interviewed Wright for her "Next Man Up" series back in 2022:
