Browns Myles Garrett reportedly not open to a contract extension

Cleveland defensive end remains adamant that his time with the Browns has come to an end.

As the NFL continues to focus on the Scouting Combine and the beginning of free agency looms on the horizon, the Cleveland Browns remain in a stalemate with defensive end Myles Garrett.

Garrett wants out of Cleveland after eight seasons, which he took every opportunity to express during Super Bowl week earlier this month, and prefers to be sent to a contending team.

The Browns remain adamant that they are not inclined to acquiesce to Garrett’s wishes. General manager Andrew Berry reiterated on Tuesday that “our stance has not changed” regarding wanting Garrett to remain with the Browns. Head coach Kevin Stefanski doubled down on Wednesday by saying that Garrett is “part of the present (and) part of the future” of the franchise.

Earlier this week Dawgs By Nature’s Jared Mueller, who is at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, shared what he has been hearing regarding Garrett:

• The Browns will not trade Garrett
• The Browns will “most likely” not offer Garrett a contract extension
• The Browns are considering setting aside the final two years of Garrett’s current contract and signing him to a new deal.

Those contract notes seem especially important after cleveland.com reported that Garrett is “not open” to the idea of a contract extension and remains committed to finding a way out of town.

If the Browns ultimately decide to give in and trade Garrett, it will be interesting to see how that unfolds. It’s nice that Garrett wants to play for a team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, but that is not Berry’s problem as his focus needs to be maximizing the return for the league’s best defensive player.

And that return is not going to come from teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, or any other team with a clear path to the playoffs.

But if the Browns stick to the idea that they are better with Garrett than without him, it could get messy once training camp rolls around. If Garrett is that upset with the current situation in Cleveland, it’s not hard to envision him skipping training camp — even though that will bring a daily fine of $50,000 — rather than give in and stay with the Browns.

That number would go up considerably if Garrett were to sit out once the season begins and he misses those weekly game checks. But Hasson Reddick did it last year with the New York Jets, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

For now, everyone is holding firm and there does not seem to be an end in site anytime soon.