The Cleveland Browns marked a big must-have off before free agency by figuring things out with Myles Garrett.
Garrett was signed to a new deal that will keep him in Cleveland through 2030 and pay him $40 million APY. The trade request was ended and the resolution will work for both sides.
Last Friday, Garrett met with the media for the first time since receiving the contract that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Garrett admitted that the trade request was hard to bring to the table.
“At that moment, making a trade request came heavy-heartedly because this is a place that I love, that’s grown to be my family. An organization that’s grown to be and feel like family,” Garrett explained. “So when I said it, I don’t regret what I said, but it did hurt because this has felt like a community. They have received me with open arms from day one and I’ve given everything. I wanted to make my voice heard loud and clear and fortunately enough it was. And just like family, sometimes you fight and you have to go through things, you have to build through adversity and we’ll get through this and we’ll come out right on the other side.”
Garrett has spent his entire eight-year career with the Browns since being the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, Garrett has piled up 102.5 sacks and has had double-digit sacks in the last seven seasons. Garrett quickly became a cornerstone for the franchise and is the best player the team has ever seen on the defensive side of the ball.
The Browns never planned to trade Garrett and that’s why they didn’t give any attention to teams calling about the star defensive end. Cleveland trading Garrett would have signaled a full-on rebuild that the current coaching staff and front office wouldn’t have survived.
Now with the deal in place, Garrett’s future in Cleveland is stable for at least the next couple of years. The Browns have to get the quarterback position right and that continues to be the single biggest thing holding the team back.
Cleveland has 10 draft picks in next month’s draft and badly needs to hit on a good amount of their selections. Garrett is back in the fold firmly and he made it sound like he always wanted to be. Now, the Browns have to find a way to put a winner out there on the field.
