Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has spoken to sources who say that a trade for Browns DE Myles Garrett should include at least two quality picks, which could include either two first-rounders or a first-rounder and a high day-two pick.
Fowler has also spoken to several teams who admitted they would reach out to the Browns and expect that Cleveland will say no to any offer.
Fowler adds that Garrett’s list of potential teams will be narrowed down to contenders and that he is solely motivated by his desire to win rather than money, as he would have no problem getting a new contract from the Browns or any other team.
Garrett blew up the NFL world during Super Bowl week when he publicly requested a trade out of Cleveland and said he consulted with basketball superstar LeBron James before doing so.
Despite rumors that Garrett’s request was a play to make him the highest-paid non-QB in the league, Fowler reported that Garrett isn’t after money and simply wants to chase a Super Bowl. Garrett has also confirmed he’s only interested in competing for a Super Bowl.
“I have a lot of love for Cleveland but for me, it’s always been about competing for championships, winning those big games,” Garrett said, via Jackson.
Garrett added he doesn’t think he is “aligned” with Cleveland’s front office’s trajectory for the team.
“Not a decision I take lightly. Just looking at the trajectory of the team and talking to some of the higher-ups…I have a lot of respect for them but I don’t think we’re aligned on where the team is going in the near future,” Garrett said, via Jackson.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero went on the Rich Eisen Show and discussed the Garrett situation. He mentioned that if the Browns change their stance on moving him, they would likely want to get something done by the draft because of the natural devaluation of picks in the future as opposed to in the current year.
However, Pelissero can see this going past the start of free agency and the draft based on the team’s current view on trading their star pass rusher.
“By making this public now this has kind of you know created some level of pressure on the Browns,” Pelissero said. “The Browns continue to say that their stance has not changed here. This could be a situation Rich that we still talking about certainly beyond the start of free agency potentially up to and even beyond the draft here. Those are the natural checkpoints particularly the draft because if you are going to do a Myles Garrett trade, which again the Browns as of now do not want to do, if you’re going to do one, you would like to think that that happens prior to the draft because otherwise, you’re trading picks out into future drafts as opposed to in 2025.”
Overall, Pelissero believes this situation is going to be very drawn out because of Garrett’s current contract and Cleveland’s lack of willingness to entertain a trade at the moment.
“They still want Myles Garrett to be part of the team,” Pelissero added. “They have him under contract for two more years. I think it’s going to be a while, Rich. These things can happen quickly, but I would say it’s probably going to be a while until we know exactly how this resolves itself.”
Browns GM Andrew Berry recently said he wouldn’t trade Garrett even if a team offered two first-round picks and Cleveland still holds that position.
Jonathan Jones says he was told by the Browns, “We’re not entertaining offers.” Mike Garafolo also reported the Browns do not intend to have any conversations about trading Garrett.
None of that is going to stop teams from calling and checking on the Browns’ resolve, so this is shaping up to be an interesting situation to monitor.
It’s worth noting Garrett has just two more years on his contract and the market has moved since he signed his deal, so he is up for a significant raise. Berry and the Browns had indicated previously they were planning to work on an extension for him soon
We named the Commanders, Falcons, Bears, Packers, Chargers, and Cardinals as potential frontrunners to keep an eye on in the sweepstakes for Garrett.
Garrett, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Browns back in 2017. He finished the third year of his four-year, $30.4 million fully guaranteed contract and was set to make a base salary of $4.61 million for the 2020 season when he agreed to a five-year extension worth $125 million with the Browns.
He is under contract for two more seasons and is due a little less than $20 million in 2024.
In 2024, Garrett appeared in 17 games and recorded 47 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defense.
We’ll have more on the Browns and Garrett as the news is available.
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