Myles

Garrett

It’s a deal that Garrett evidently decided was worth the pain to remain with the lowly Browns. Going from ring chaser to bag chaser will net Garrett $123 million in guaranteed money on his new deal, which will ultimately result in the star pass rusher earning $40 million AAV. It’s a record deal for Garrett, who becomes the highest-paid non-QB in league history, and will now be under contract with the Browns through the 2030 season. Garrett, a four-time All-Pro and future hall of famer who has amassed 102.5 sacks in 117 career games, appeared entrenched in his desire to be traded to a contender after the Browns went 3-14 last season, but the Browns went above and beyond to appease him with this new deal, including a no-trade clause. Garrett’s new deal will be music to the ears of players like Ja’Marr Chase and Micah Parsons, who are both younger than Garrett and also in search of top-of-the-market contracts that may now have a chance to surpass the one the Browns dished out.

Things are getting good, here. Garrett reportedly discussed a meeting with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, only for Haslam to decline to speak with the All-Pro pass rusher. Garrett is dug in on his desire to be traded, while the Browns “from ownership to GM to coach,” per Pelissero, are dug in on not trading him. The Browns have floated the possibility of extending Garrett with a big contract, but Garrett’s focus seems to be solely on winning a championship. He doesn’t think that will happen in Cleveland in 2025. Unless this ends with an abrupt trade, the situation will probably remain ugly for the foreseeable future.

It’s hardly a surprise. The Browns have insisted from the start that they would not honor Garrett’s trade request. Fowler adds that any teams who have called to inquire about his availability have received “an emphatic” no from the Browns, while noting that they haven’t fielded too many calls for the star pass rusher. ESPN’s Dan Graziano also points out in the article that the Browns may not feel compelled to trade Garrett until “they become convinced he won’t play for them” while pointing out the Bills and Eagles as two teams who could aggressively pursue him. In the same way the Browns appear entrenched on not trading Garrett, he appears equally committed to playing for a contender in 2025. It’s safe to say this situation is far from resolved, and may stretch into the summer at this rate.

Russini, citing sources, was told the Eagles’ interest in Garrett is real and passes along a quote from a rival GM who wonders if Garrett is this offseason’s Saquon Barkley for Howie Roseman. The path to Philadelphia making this happen could be challenging, however. The Eagles have a list of key free agents they’d like to keep including Zack Baun, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams and Mekhi Becton. Philadelphia is 20th in the league with a little less than $18 million in cap space, according to spotrac. The Browns aren’t currently listening to trade offers for Garrett, though Russini believes there could be movement before the NFL Draft if the team changes its mind.

According to Cabot, Garrett has “slammed the door” on any possibilities of an extension to remain with the Browns. The four-time All-Pro requested a trade earlier this offseason in hopes of landing with a contender for the 2025 season, but so far, the Browns have appeared unwilling to deal him. There were some reports that the Browns would try to entice Garrett to stay with a hefty extension, but it sounds like Garrett wants no part of the Browns going forward. Whether or not the team changes its mind when it comes to a trade is to be determined, but it sounds like Garrett is doing everything he can to make it known that his days in Cleveland are over.

This is first and foremost a Myles Garrett question. The current Brown has requested a trade and the Lions make sense for several reasons. They are a contending team with a reasonable amount of cap space and saw their defense crumble over the second half of the season, largely because of injuries. Adding Garrett would supercharge a unit that was devastating when healthy. Holmes mentioned all of the obvious reasons Detroit may not end up with Garrett or any other big-name EDGE this offseason. He noted the scarcity of the position and the cost to both acquire and keep such a player. While the Lions will certainly make some calls for potential pass-rush additions, it doesn’t sound like they will be making any splashy moves this offseason.

When asked about how many trade calls he received, Berry added that it was “irrelevant to the situation because we’re not interested in trading Myles.” He noted that they’ve had dialogue with Garrett since the Super Bowl. The standoff looks poised to continue in Cleveland as the Browns have no interest in parting ways with Garrett despite his public trade request earlier this month.

Good luck, folks. Garrett has made it clear that winning has become a top priority late in his career and said earlier that he’s willing to do “whatever it takes” to facilitate a trade. While a hefty new contract could persuade him to stay, it wouldn’t change the fact that Garrett would be heading into his ninth season with a team that’s in near rebuild mode after going 3-14 last season. A trade still sounds like his best bet if he hopes to play for a contender. To date, the team has expressed no interest in trading him. This standoff will be a major NFL offseason story.

The supposition in Cleveland is that the Browns will take a quarterback at No. 2 overall, with Mary Kay Cabot calling it “likely” in a column about the Myles Garrett trade demand yesterday. The Browns enter the offseason $30 million over the cap per OverTheCap and that’s before they potentially deal with a Garrett trade demand that could add to their dead money. If the Falcons were to release Cousins, he’d be a candidate to do a Russell Wilson-esque small deal with the Browns where most of his income is still being paid by Atlanta. The dots connecting former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to former Vikings quarterback Cousins feel real.

Garrett remains under contract with the Browns through 2026. Whether he is willing to actually forfeit cash on his current deal by holding out and/or missing games remains unclear. His statement makes it sound like he’s open to take a Super Bowl-contender discount if a theoretical trade requires a renegotiated contract. Denzel Ward and David Njoku are reportedly trying to talk Garrett off the request, which seems to center on a lack of belief in the Browns fixing things at quarterback quickly enough for Garrett to compete for a ring this year.