Myles Garrett Seeking Answers On Browns’ Long-Term Plan; DE Would Consider Trade Request

Drafted first overall after the Browns went 0-16, Myles Garrett has been through a rebuild. Overseen by three GMs, that climb produced a quality roster that has seen quarterback hiccups — one that has the team in an unprecedented bind — otherwise define the period.

In a statement that sounds a bit more like what an NBA superstar would provide, Garrett wants clarity from Browns management about the team’s plans. Making it clear he is not interested in being part of another rebuild, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year did not dismiss a trade request if he does not receive the answers he wants.

“First of all, I want to win. I want the Browns to be able to put me and us in position to win. I’m not trying to rebuild,” Garrett said, via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “I’m trying to win right now. I want that to be apparent, when the season’s over and we have those discussions, I want them to be able to illuminate that for me, illustrate that for me, so that can be something that I can see in the near future.

“I’m going to stay loyal to a team that showed loyalty to me and faith in me by drafting me. But we have to do, at the end of the day, what’s best for us.”

This strategy has keyed numerous NBA exits, in a league in which the stars hold more power compared to the NFL. The league Garrett plays in features additional mechanisms, most notably the franchise tag, for teams to retain stars. As Deshaun Watson‘s struggles pushed that situation well past a crisis point ahead of the trade deadline, teams asked about Garrett. The Browns shot them down, viewing he and Denzel Ward as building blocks. But Garrett may be ready to force the issue soon.

“Absolutely,” Garrett said when asked (via Cabot) if the Browns need to explain a QB plan. “As uncertain as it is now from the outside looking in, it’s uncertain for us as well. So if [Dorian Thompson-Robinson] is the solution or someone else is, it’s got to be drawn out. There’s got to be a plan of action and just got to know where things are going.

Cleveland has Garrett under contract (at a below-market rate) for one more season. The team did well to sign the 2017 top pick to a five-year, $125MM deal, giving the club seven years of control. Probably the best pass rusher in Browns history, Garrett has outplayed that deal. Nick Bosa now leads the pack with a $34MM-per-year deal, and 2025 will also bring Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt contract years. Although Garrett is also in line to cash in during a Browns contract year, doing so appears contingent on the team convincing its top player it can compete despite the Watson albatross.

Trading Garrett would cost the Browns more than $36MM in dead money. This being the Andrew Berry-era Browns, four void years are on the standout’s contract. That will raise the price of a trade, one that would not bring any cap relief if completed before June 1. While the Browns could take the route of overwhelming Garrett with an extension offer, inking him to a third contract appears contingent on a better quarterback plan.

The Browns have no way out of the Watson mess. No second suspension under the personal conduct policy is coming, keeping the QB’s guarantees intact. It would cost the Browns more than $172MM to release Watson in 2025, making it a non-starter. The team plans to keep the struggling quarterback as a result. Although Browns decision-makers are not saying Watson will be benched in 2025, signs point to a search for competition — at the very least — coming soon. The contract Berry authorized in 2022 will prevent an expensive QB search, but he does plan on going through with a third restructure to reduce Watson’s 2025 cap hit (currently a record-shattering $72.9MM). This will make it harder for the Browns to dump the disappointing trade acquisition in 2026, but that appears the cost of doing business at this point.

A team that traded for Garrett would need to pay up; the Browns would undoubtedly ask for a first-round pick and change. The prospect of an acquiring team needing to then authorize a market-setting extension north of $35MM per year would complicate trade talks, as would Garrett turning 30 in 2025. But the five-time All-Pro would be ready to ask for a deal if he and the Browns are not aligned.

“I mean, it’s a possibility, but I want to be a Cleveland Brown,” Garrett said of a trade request. “I want to play here, play my career here. But if we choose to do a rebuild and it’s two, three, four years out, I want be able to compete and play at a high level, play meaningful games and be playing past January.”

Garrett did not provide any clarity whether he would ask to be moved if Berry and Kevin Stefanski are fired, which they are not expected to be, or if a to-be-determined rookie usurping Watson would change his plans. But the Browns may soon be dealing with an ultimatum, providing a significant complication as they attempt to weather the storm the Watson contract has brought.