Before the Cleveland Browns can address their issues, the holes on their depth chart, and their needs at quarterback, they have one 6-foot-4, 272-pound elephant in the room that needs to be addressed: the future of Myles Garrett in the Buckeye State.
Will the Browns actually trade their franchise player, the sort of do-it-all defensive weapon who can produce an effective pass rush all on his own? Or is this all a way to push for a bigger contract down the line, with Garrett positioning himself to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL?
Well, on Scoop City, Dianna Russini weighed in on the situation, noting that, in her opinion, Garrett’s trade request has more to do with setting himself up for the biggest possible new contract in Cleveland, as opposed to getting out of Ohio for a better shot at a championship.
“Myles Garrett is going to get a new deal. Do you see Cleveland moving money around? They’re certainly moving a lot of money around for someone; I wonder who that’s for. His side will tell you, this has nothing to do with money,” Russini explained. “I’ve heard people say that before, I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt right now.”
When challenged on this opinion by Chase Daniel, Russini doubled down, noting that the Browns effectively pay players to show up for 17 games and do their job, even if it’s unlikely they get to game 18 or 19, let alone 20 or 21.
“What’s like the guaranteed money you get from Cleveland, where you’re like, yeah, you know what, maybe I don’t want to win,” Russini noted.
Would Garrett be willing to punt on title contention for a richer bank account? Potentially so, as at 29, he could sign a four-year deal and still use the final chapter of his career chasing a chip with whichever team is on top at the time. With that being said, after franchise owner Jimmy Haslam refused to meet with Garrett about his trade request, who knows, maybe Cleveland’s seeming unwillingness to play ball will tip the scales towards a trade and result in the All-Pro calling a new NFL team home in 2025.
