It was just over a month ago that defensive end Myles Garrett sent the national media into a tizzy with a public trade request. In the statement, Garrett said he wanted to “compete for and win a Super Bowl,” suggesting he didn’t think that was possible in Cleveland. Turns out, $40 million a year is enough to change your mind.
According to several reports, Garrett has agreed to a contract extension with the Browns worth $40 million a year and includes $123.5 million in guarantees. The deal exceeds the recent deal acquired by Raiders edge defender Maxx Crosby, who received a three-year, $106.5 million contract ($35.5 million).
Not only does this obviously take the Detroit Lions out of the Myles Garrett sweepstakes—although there’s a healthy amount of skepticism that they were ever really interested in acquiring him this offseason after expressing interest at last year’s trade deadline—but it also sets the table for a potential Aidan Hutchinson extension.
Hutchinson is entering the final year of his rookie contract—although the Lions have a fifth-year option they can (and are expected to) exercise that will have him under contract through 2026. Still, the Lions have typically gotten ahead of deals, and it would not be surprising for Detroit to hand out their own massive extension this offseason.
As for the defensive end market, it does appear Trey Hendrickson is available for trade, but there has been no reported interest from the Lions’ side. Free agent options are aplenty, and you can see our choices for best defensive end fits here and here.
