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'I just felt it was time': Myles Garrett talks trade request, LeBron advice on 'Rich Eisen Show'
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- 'I just felt it was time': Myles Garrett talks trade request, LeBron advice on 'Rich Eisen Show'
Myles Garrett made it known on Monday he wants to be traded from the Cleveland Browns . The All-Pro defensive end did so in a statement released by his agent.
On Wednesday, Garrett appeared on the "Rich Eisen Show" while on Radio Row at the Super Bowl in New Orleans . Speaking to Eisen, he explained the timing that went into finally going public with the trade request.
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"I just felt it was time," Garrett told Eisen. "I had taken my time after the season, kind of relaxed and decompressed emotionally, wanted to distance myself a little bit and spent a little time talking to my family about how we feel about this decision."
Garrett, 29, had made it known late in the Browns' 3-14 season his hope was to retire as a Cleveland Brown. However, he also made it very clear he wanted to know what general manager Andrew Berry and the rest of the organization had planned in terms of contending for a Super Bowl in the near future.
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year met with the Browns' higher-ups immediately after the season ended last month. Outside of a moment during a mid-January episode of "Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North" on Max — when he said, "We're closer than some may think we are" — there had been nothing public from him until the trade request bombshell on Monday.
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"It's not a decision I take lightly," Garrett said. "It took time and lots of conversation. Just looking at the trajectory of the team, talking to some of the higher-ups, I have a lot of respect for them but I just don't think we're aligned on where the team is going in the near future."
Myles Garrett talked with LeBron James for advice
One of the individuals Garrett spoke to while he was contemplating his decision was LeBron James. The star pass rusher had said during the season that James was someone he regularly leaned on for advice.
Garrett wanted to know from James "what a transition looked like for him, what was his thought process going into it before he left Cleveland." The Akron native famously left the Cavaliers not once, but twice, in free agency, including in 2018 to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The Browns have stated they have no intention of trading Garrett since the request was made public. That's in line with multiple statements made by Berry, both in his Jan. 6 postseason news conference and in talking to Cleveland.com and The Athletic last week at the Senior Bowl.
Both times, Berry said he intended for Garrett to retire with the team, saying the 2017 No. 1 overall pick would have a "direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton" after his career ended. Garrett threw that line back in Berry's face in his statement Monday, saying the "goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton , it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl."
Garrett, who became the youngest player to reach 100 career sacks since the NFL started keeping it as an official statistic 1982, reiterated that Wednesday while speaking to Eisen.
"It's never been about the Hall of Fame for me," Garrett said on the show. "It's not about money or records. You're remembered for winning."
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The news of Garrett's desire to be dealt has opened up the imaginations of fans of the other 31 teams. There are several teams, including the Washington Commanders , Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers , who would even fit the outline of Garrett's ideal destination.
The leverage, outside of public sentiment, sits with the Browns. Garrett is under contract for two more seasons, and it would be a $36.22 million salary cap hit for Cleveland if he was traded before June 1.
There's also the question of compensation. Although Berry has shown in the past a proclivity to try to work with players during conflicts — see the Odell Beckham Jr. situation in 2021 — there's also the reality he needs to land a return for a future Hall of Fame commensurate to what he's giving up in order to help the Browns rebuild.
Garrett also understands that reality. However, he's hopeful things can be worked out for a resolution that benefits all, but still puts him out of Cleveland and on a team with true Super Bowl aspirations.
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"I just want to go to a contender," Garrett said. "… I would love (to have a say in his destination). I know in my position, I don't have much say in where I go. But hopefully we can leave off on good terms and we can find a middle ground between us."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett talked to LeBron James before Browns trade request
