After a wildly disappointing season, the Browns have a significant in-house matter to address. With the Deshaun Watson restructure offering some early clarity on that lingering issue, the team still has Myles Garrett business ahead.
Garrett made pointed comments about the team’s direction last month. The All-Pro defensive end will seek answers from Browns management on how the team’s power brokers plan to climb out of this hole, one that produced a 3-14 record on the heels of a wild-card berth.
The Browns joined the Giants in being a 3-14 team that is not planning to fire its HC or GM, with Andrew Berry safe despite authorizing the Watson contract. As Berry prepares for his sixth offseason in charge in Cleveland, he does not sound like any expectation of a Garrett trade is on the horizon. Berry said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) he expects Garrett to remain with the Browns and retire as a member of the team down the road.
Garrett, 29, said he would consider a trade request if he did not like the answer Browns higher-ups gave him. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year said he has not held that state-of-the-union talk with management just yet.
This demand comes as Garrett appears set to also angle for a new contract. The former No. 1 overall pick has long outplayed his deal, with a few less accomplished edge rushers having vaulted his $25MM-per-year contract — which sits fifth at the position but well behind the leader. Entering his ninth season still playing at an All-Pro level, Garrett faces a crucial offseason to capitalize on his value. Garrett has two years remaining on his deal, but T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson are all in contract years. It stands to reason Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-per-year EDGE ceiling will be raised — probably by more than one player — and it will be interesting to see who strikes first.
Asked about an extension, Garrett said, “There’ll be something coming.” Considering his comments about the state of the team, it would be a mild surprise if Garrett showed up for offseason work without a new deal in place. The Browns gave him what turned out to be a team-friendly contract in 2020, as the deal tied him to the team for seven years (due to rookie-contract control). Garrett may be trying to force two issues in the same offseason.
Even though Garrett is not technically in a contract year, inserting a potential trade into the equation represents another way to apply pressure on the Browns. It does not sound like the team is interested in letting another franchise authorize Garrett’s third contract.
Don’t underestimate how soon that could be, Mr. Berry, if your plans for the future aren’t good…
At this point, why not trade Garrett? He’s invaluable to the team, but he’s unhappy, why not use the picks to restock the team? As long as Watson is tethered to the franchise, competing will be difficult. They just have to hope that Watson can return and show his former elite form, but that just isn’t a reliable enough chance (especially with the news that he’ll need another surgery). I wouldn’t bet on it, and though it’s painful, Garrett and Ward may be more valuable as trade pieces than as players. It’s a tough division, and Cleveland isn’t exactly equipped to compete in it right now.
The only way that the Browns can afford to build right now is through the draft. I’m not a fan of firesales-fans are overly optimistic about how successful those are guaranteed to be-but in this case, it feels necessary. This strategy worked for Cleveland in building a few years of success in the recent past, where they hoarded picks and spent them well to nab a few great contributors (like the aforementioned Ward, Chubb, and the esteemed Garrett himself). I don’t want this to become a predictable spend-tank cycle, but right now, I don’t see what the alternative strategy is.
Garrett never said he was unhappy in Cleveland; I’m not sure if you saw the full answer he gave or just read the clickbait that’s been going around, but he said he loves it there and wants to be there long term.
That being said, it came with the caveat that he wants a definitive plan for how they’ll win during the rest of his career (which is fair because they haven’t done much of that since drafting him), but I really wouldn’t say he’s unhappy either. I’m pretty sure I remember Joe Thomas saying something similar during his career too.
Maybe unhappy is not correct as an assessment; however, could it also be true that Garrett both lives Cleveland and also is unhappy with his current circumstances? He obviously has concerns over the state of the franchise. I don’t think he hates the team, but he can’t be content with things the way that they are if he’s publicizing the fact that he’s going to meet with management about the organization’s future. Effectively, it seems to have the same outcome to me.
Man that sucks. He’s too young to retire this summer!
He also expected Watson to be better than Mayfield…
Dude has ruined what seemed like a ship headed in the right direction.
From a business point of view, why keep a 9th year player who will cost north of $35M pr yr when you have so many holes to fill? He’s had an a amazing career and single handedly wrecked opposing offenses, but too old, banged up, and costs too much.