The talented pass rusher has asked to be traded. Now what?
It was nothing but a shock during Super Bowl week when All-World Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett asked to be traded. In his statement, he considered the City of Cleveland home but has basically given up on the franchise to ever be a Super Bowl contender.
In his request, he wanted to be sent to a playoff contender.
Essentially, if you polled every player in the NFL, wouldn’t most say they would like to be shipped off to a playoff contender if their contract remains intact?
But for Garrett, he has been the model player. He is just asking to be let go and seek out the opportunity to capture a ring before his athletic clock runs out. Garrett has two years left on his current contract, so the Browns don’t have to move him. In fact, they don’t have to do anything.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
For now, they are stating they aren’t doing anything. No trades, no sir.
Should the Browns trade Myles Garrett?
Here at Dawgs By Nature, we assembled a panel of experts to debate the issue. Agree, or disagree. Pro or con. Yes, trade him, or hell no we need him so suck it up like the rest of us Browns fans.
Maybe the better question is: Why don’t the Browns trade their team to another city and bring that team here? Just send our roster to Kansas City or Buffalo and they send over their entire team. Swap rosters.
Let’s debate!
Howie Smith
President: Susquehanna Valley Browns Backers
Harrisburg, PA
LINK: SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY BROWNS BACKERS FACEBOOK PAGE
The Browns SHOULD grant Myles Garrett his request to be traded.
The man earned it. He played like a superstar. He was a leader on the field, in the locker room, and in the community. He restructured his contract to help the team sign two things: 1) their “franchise” quarterback, and 2) their own (competitiveness) Death Warrant. And those two things were one and the same – DeShaun Watson who wasn’t the “answer” and his salary has crippled this team.
Ironically, Myles agreeing to those contract restructurings has, effectively, made him almost untradable. It is quite likely that they won’t be able to work out a deal that keeps them even reasonably competitive. If he is traded now, they’ll have to eat $36 million in dead salary cap. Ouch! Already $34 million over the cap heading into 2025 and bearing the heavy load of the Watson contract, they’ll be in a deep hole for at least two seasons.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
If they decide to trade Myles Garrett, they’ll have to be awfully creative. They need a motivated buyer willing to overspend. Don’t be shocked if some other high-profile players end up as casualties. CB Denzel Ward (another huge dead cap hit, so I don’t know how he moves), CB Greg Newsome, and OT Jack Conklin (losing him won’t bother me in the least) have been mentioned. Any trades will have to involve high-quality draft picks. Garrett should be worth a pair of #1s and Ward another #1. Some combination of multiple #2s and #3s could be in play if a #1 isn’t offered for Ward or as the second pick in a Garrett deal. The Browns will benefit immensely by garnering picks instead of veteran salaries. The salary cap hits for rookies are softer. Still, the dead cap numbers will be crushing.
Working on any deal to trade Garrett will be extremely difficult. If there IS one to be had, let’s hope it is to a team in the NFC. We don’t want to face him too often! It sounds like the entire NFC North has expressed interest. The Bears and Lions have the inside track, in my opinion. The Bears have the right picks to trade and the Lions are known to push the envelope when chasing a star that they really want, but they’d need to sweeten the pot as their picks are much lower.
I hope, for his sake alone, that Myles gets his wish. It will be almost impossible given the salary cap problem. If they can work out a trade, I will mourn the loss, but I’m used to being in constant sorrow as I’ve watched this nightmare for too many years. Jimmy Haslam was part-owner of the Steelers for four years. I only imagine him being ridiculed in meetings for stupid ideas, until he got so angry that he left and bought the Browns so he could implement those plans (re: drafting Johnny Manziel … trading TONS for Odell Beckham … selling our team’s soul and future for Deshaun Watson … and God only knows what he’ll do next).
Remember fans, it’s our fault, too. We are forever loyal. We buy the jerseys… and the tickets… and their BS. We are not blameless.
EZ Weav
DBN Staff
Myles Garrett is a unicorn. A very rare player that tilts the field in ways very few ever have in the history of the game. He’s the best defensive player ever to wear a Browns uniform, and still at the height of his powers.
He’s apparently unsettled with his current position on the team which is unfortunate for him. The Browns have NO obligation to divest themselves of his services no matter how much he may think they ought to. As such, unless someone offers up something truly crazy, there’s nothing to even consider here.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
This may seem harsh but harshness is relative. To me, it’s harsh for a guy that the team has made VERY, VERY wealthy to decide on his own that it will never get close to a championship, so he doesn’t need to continue to try to help them get there. Whether he or you or anyone else agrees with that point of view is immaterial to the point of being completely irrelevant. The people who run the team have ONLY one responsibility: to make the team as good as they can – however imperfectly they go about it.
Myles is under contract for two more years, and we can tag him up to three years after that. That is the posture we should have in every public and private interaction about this topic. If someone wants him, the price tag is about three first-rounders and a prime player on a rookie contract. Oh, that’s too much? Well, we don’t want to get rid of him so everything tracks. If it’s too expensive, that’s fine, we’d rather just keep him.
That’s pretty much it.
If someone offers up something crazy, we can consider it. If not, then he stays – unless and until someone can tell me why contracts don’t matter anymore. If he wants to go the Watson route he can. It’s not recommended but it’s what he can do.
Ken “Kenny Mac” MacDonald
Ottawa Browns Backers
Ottawa, Ontario – Canada
LINK: OTTAWA BROWNS BACKERS FACEBOOK PAGE
I decided to parallel the situation to the Song “Should I Stay or should I Go” by the Clash. Cheers.
Should the Browns trade Myles Garrett?
Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns stating, “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete and win a Super Bowl.”
Oddly enough, the day before, “The Clash” received a Special Grammy honors for a lifetime achievement in music and I have been pumping out their music. What am I telling you about this? Well, as soon as I heard the news, I thought of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and its 2003 inductees The Clash with their hit song rang through my head, “Should I stay or should I go.”
Much like the Clash, Myles will enter Pro Football’s Hall for his lifetime achievement which only is a Bojorquez kick past Akron.
Scott R. Galvin-Imagn Images
Like the Clash’s intense tour schedule, Myles hit one interview after another on radio row at the Super Bowl. He addresses the pain of indecision. Myles indicated the same pain, weighing his loyalty to northeast Ohio and his teammates against the allure of joining a potential Super Bowl contender. His trade request is not driven by financial motives, as reports indicate that the Browns are willing to offer him a new contract. Instead, his primary focus is on achieving his championship aspirations.
In the spirit of the lyrics, let’s look at the next line in the chorus, “If I go, there will be trouble.”
There sure will. The Browns would lose an elite pass rusher, effecting the potential of the defense while losing talent that may never be replaced. As a leader, it would have a negative effect on the locker room while angering an already hostile, critical fanbase. Whatever cap space that you can muster up, which I hear is anywhere from $50 to $80 million and will increase, you would subtract $37 million because that’s the dead cap hit. That makes it harder to acquire personnel.
If Garrett goes, the trouble is a full rebuild. Does the season become a lame-duck year again but with sweeping changes? Yikes!
Let’s look into the next lyric and it says, “Should I stay, it will be double.”
So far, it’s been too early and there’s been no talk of holding out. The radio row antics have soured some fans who had favored the trade to spite management. Fans could push back on Myles, he has been handsomely paid for performance that hasn’t translated to the Super Bowl. Myles is at his maximum trade potential being a young 29 with no major injury history and production.
So, if it doesn’t happen and we go into a full rebuild, I know I don’t need any more “what if” scenarios. Will he check out?? Some alumni think he already has.
The whole trade demand makes your head spin, right? I have flip-flopped on what to do which relates to this song line “This indecision’s bugging me”. I get moving Myles for draft capital and possibly a player to be named. The common-sense part of this tells me that he’s staying. The $37 million cap hit tells me that the Browns are dug in.
So, Myles stays and plays.
Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
This isn’t the NBA. Players don’t dictate their moves. It isn’t baseball with cash considerations. I say keep him this season. It gives the team a chance to execute a plan. How on earth do you convey a plan at the time they met? It’s impossible to be specific about trades, free-agent signings, and draft picks in January.
Have your off-season. Show Myles the fruits of your labor and trade him at the 2025 trade deadline if it does work.
Doing it this way, he adds trade value to a hot team with the Super Bowl in the crosshairs and gets Myles closer to a 2025-certified contender. So, on March 12th, at 4:00 pm “Should Myles stay, or should Myles go?” We will find out.
Kristy Acuti
Administrator: BFO (Browns Fans Only)
LINK: BROWNS FANS ONLY FACEBOOK PAGE
When Myles first announced that he wanted to be traded from the Browns, I did what a lot of fans did.
I threw a tantrum, crawled up in a ball, and cried. And once I finally got done screaming at the top of my lungs and all the emotion left my body, I finally stopped to think about it.
When Myles first came to Cleveland, he did have a reputation from Texas A&M for being a fantastic defensive end. When he removed Mason Rudolph’s helmet and proceeded to bash him over the head with it, while it was great for us fans to watch, he was not a proven NFL player at the time and the Browns still took a chance and stuck by him. I think it was the following season when Myles wrecked and flipped his Porsche, he ended up missing the game following the accident against the Atlanta Falcons which we definitely could have used him in.
Evan Habeeb-Imagn Images
Once again, the Browns stuck by him. So, as a fan, I asked myself, where is his loyalty to the Browns? And why aren’t the Browns listening to their now-proven leader, and trying to make him happy?
Could this be him doing like LeBron James did? Will he go play for another team, for a season or two, and come back? Will he be one of those guys that regrets leaving? Then I start thinking, well we’ve got a really good chance of getting some good draft picks if we trade him. We know we are in need of a quarterback, a running back, and now some edge rushers. Will it be enough though? Can anyone replace Myles?
Sitting here as a fan, and the initial shock wearing off, I’m looking at it with optimism. I think we can grow, I think we can build off of him leaving, and I still hold out hope that we will make it to the Super Bowl.
Dr. Chad Mediate
Bearded Browns Podcast
When it comes to trading Myles Garrett, the most important thing to consider is the impact on the team outside of losing Garrett himself.
Take into account that this move triggers a hefty cap hit of over $35 million to a team already dealing with a $70+ million cap hit from QB Deshaun Watson who will be watching this upcoming NFL season from the couch. The Browns realize this, which is why GM Andrew Berry has been adamant that he has no intention of moving the former DPOY.
Simply put, this move could financially cripple the Browns in a way that would make retaining their other veterans and competing over the next two seasons nearly impossible. Could Berry be playing hardball for the highest offer? Of course! Will he get an offer worthy of moving on from the star rusher? Not likely.
What makes this challenging is Myles’ demand specifically to play on a Super Bowl contender. This seriously limits the potential partners to top teams. I don’t believe the Detroit Lions or Washington Commanders picks at #28 and #29, respectively, along with predicted bottom six picks next season give Berry a return worth giving up our most elite player and locking the Browns into a losing position.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
I’m not in favor of setting this team up for certain failure in 2025, and I don’t believe the Browns front office is either. We completely understand his frustration. We all share it. His urgency to compete at the highest level. Again, the fans and this team want that exact same thing.
The Browns’ best course is to hold steady. Convince Myles to be patient for one more season. Remind him of the time they stood by him by awarding him a massive extension after his egregious mistake vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers led to a six-game suspension. Remind him that he is still under that contract. If they can get him to soften his stance, just this offseason, this front office has a chance to turn it around.
Start with securing a QB that can actually run this offense successfully. Wisely use trades, free agency, and this draft to elevate the roster. Make this the playoff team and Super Bowl contender that Myles has been seeking since the Browns’ playoff run in 2020. Unless someone makes an offer you can’t refuse – you have to refuse.
Make 2025 a year of redemption for Myles, Cleveland fans, and this Browns team!
Barry Shuck
DBN Staff Writer
Like everyone else, it was a sad day when Garrett sent word he wanted to be traded.
Garrett is the only face of the franchise. When any network exhibits a teaser to promote an upcoming game, the other teams are displayed by either a quarterback or another skill player like a RB or WR. For the Browns, the QB position is always in limbo, RB Nick Chubb is hurt, and Garrett is about it.
What the trade request meant to me was that he had lost complete faith in the coaching staff, Andrew Berry, the scouting department, and the other front office folks to get this roster to the promised land.
Ever.
The reason? Look at the past two seasons. In 2023, the Browns won 11 games, were the highest Wild Card seed, and were slated to play the Houston Texans in the playoffs who they had beaten handily just weeks earlier. Instead, two pick-sixes developed a horrible loss. What was next? That was followed by a 14-loss season.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
While the better teams have been putting together consecutive playoff seasons, the Browns are a roller coaster. Playoff team followed by being a bottom feeder. In a marriage, that would be classified as a “love-hate” relationship. Great times followed by dodging an iron being thrown at you.
After Week 14, Garrett went to the front office and wanted answers. He wanted to see their plan to correct this ship. Then when the final game was completed, he did the same thing and again wanted to know the plan or any updates. In both instances, whatever he was told he wasn’t buying.
Know this: for Garrett to come out publicly and issue a statement that he wanted to be traded away from Cleveland and to a competitive team instead, does anyone believe that he hadn’t thought long and hard about this before issuing that sentiment? After all, his love affair with the fanbase of Cleveland is at stake.
The statement itself is a vehicle to alienate himself from the Browns fanbase. Instantly, fans could turn on him. That love-hate thingy. There could eventually be Myles Garrett jersey-burning ceremonies attended by thousands.
That still just might be on the horizon.
I realize that Berry and Company don’t want Garrett to leave. Nobody does. Nobody. But he is done with the Browns. He isn’t going to cave in and play this year, or the next. He will hold out his trade demands until he is sent to another team. Hopefully, a playoff team. But Garrett knows he has zero control over where he will be sent. He has two years on a contract which the Browns own. They own him.
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Garrett just may have shot himself in the foot with this trade request and end up with the New England Patriots and Mike Vrabel. Or the Raiders. Or the Giants. Including the Browns, none of these teams will be seen in the post-season anytime soon. Garrett may play out his career in another city for another bottom feeder, and that will be the story of Myles Garrett.
But what he is hoping for instead, is for the Browns to honor his desire to win a ring before his limited playing days are up. Please, do this for me is his request. Garrett has been a role model and played like a champion. He has represented the City of Cleveland with grace and style. He simply wants the opportunity to be a champion in the NFL.
It’s not like the Browns won’t reap the rewards. The Browns will benefit handily from this trade either before June 1 or most likely afterward when the financial ramifications aren’t so severe.
So please Andrew Berry, work out a great trade package, and send Garrett to a team that will get them over that hump they somehow couldn’t climb before he showed up. Garrett may indeed get that ring, or at least he will be in the hunt for one.