Five-time Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward has joined the Cleveland Guardians’ ownership group as a minority investor, adding another hometown NFL star to the Major League Baseball club’s expanding list of local stakeholders.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the Ohio native is the latest athlete to buy into the franchise led by chairman and CEO Paul Dolan and minority owner David Blitzer. Ward joins Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was announced as a minority investor in May.
“Cleveland is my hometown. I’m so blessed to be able to show up for this city on the field and now as a part of the Guardians organization,” Ward said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to the Dolan family and David Blitzer for the opportunity to continue to pour into this community and give back to the best fans in the world.”
Ward, 29, was born in Macedonia, Ohio, and starred at Nordonia High School before playing at Ohio State. The Cleveland Browns selected him fourth overall in the 2018 NFL draft, and he has spent his entire professional career with the team.
In eight NFL seasons, Ward has recorded 18 interceptions, 104 pass deflections and 361 tackles. He earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2018 and again in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. He also scored defensive touchdowns on interceptions and fumble recoveries.
The Browns have treated Ward as a cornerstone even after trading longtime defensive end Myles Garrett. Cleveland signed Ward to a two-year, $62.2 million extension in July that made him the highest-paid defensive back in the league for a second time. His career earnings already exceed $103 million.
Kelce’s investment earlier this year set the stage for Ward’s move. The Cleveland Heights native and three-time Super Bowl champion purchased a small share tied to Blitzer’s stake and described the chance to own a piece of his favorite childhood team as a dream. Financial terms of neither deal were disclosed.
The Dolan family has controlled the franchise since buying it for $323 million in 1999. Paul Dolan became the club’s control person in 2013 and remains majority owner after the death of his father, Larry Dolan, in 2025. Blitzer, who also has ownership interests in the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, joined in 2022 and now holds about 35 percent with an option to take majority control after the 2027 season.
Forbes valued the Guardians at $1.66 billion earlier this year, up from about $1.3 billion when Blitzer first bought in. The franchise generated $337 million in revenue and $53 million in operating income in the most recent valuation cycle. Progressive Field seats 34,830 and opened in 1994.
Ward’s addition continues a broader trend of active athletes buying minority stakes in MLB clubs. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a Royals investor. LeBron James holds a share of the Boston Red Sox, Giannis Antetokounmpo is part of the Milwaukee Brewers group, and Cade Cunningham invested in the Texas Rangers.
For Cleveland, the symbolism is especially strong. Ward still plays at Huntington Bank Field, a short walk from Progressive Field. Kelce regularly returns for Cavaliers and Guardians games. Both men grew up watching the 1990s Indians teams that reached two World Series.
The Guardians entered Wednesday with a 74-72 record, two games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central and holding a wild-card berth. Manager Stephen Vogt’s club reached the 10,000-win mark in franchise history in August.
Minority investments of this type typically confer little day-to-day operational power. Payroll decisions, roster construction and baseball operations remain with Dolan, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff. The value for the club is local identity, marketing reach and another high-profile advocate in the community.
Ward has long framed his Cleveland career as more than football. He has hosted youth camps at Nordonia and spoken about honoring his late father while giving back in Summit and Cuyahoga counties. The ownership stake gives him a formal role in an organization that, like the Browns, markets itself as a civic institution.
Whether the investment grows beyond a small slice of Blitzer’s share is unclear. What is clear is the message Cleveland’s two most visible professional teams want to send: hometown players who stay, or return, can write a second chapter off the field.
Ward already has one of the longer tenures in Browns history. Now he owns a piece of the baseball team next door.
