Story by
Trade Myles Garrett? Future Hall of Famer tells Browns 'I have requested to be traded'
- Story by
- Trade Myles Garrett? Future Hall of Famer tells Browns 'I have requested to be traded'
Myles Garrett has officially requested a trade from the Browns .
"As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever," Garrett wrote in a statement, a copy of which was sent to the Beacon Journal by his agent, Nicole Lynn. "My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.
Advertisement
"While I've loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won't allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton , it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns ."
What is Browns ' reaction to Myles Garrett trade request?
The Browns , a source told the Beacon Journal, have not changed the stance general manager Andrew Berry made both in a season-ending news conference on Jan. 6 and again to a small group of beat writers last week at the Senior Bowl. Berry has stated the team has no intention to deal Garrett, even if multiple first-round draft picks were offered.
"In terms of Myles, my anticipation, expectation, is that he'll have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton at the end of his [years] and expect him to be here and retire a Brown, quite frankly," Berry said on Jan. 6. "In terms of winning, our goal is always going to be to win. Our goal is always going to be to improve the team."
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett leaves the field after defeating the Steelers, Nov. 21, 2024, in Cleveland.
Did Myles Garrett request a trade during the season?
Garrett, 29, opened the door to this possibility in December. Two days before the Browns played a Week 15 game at the Cincinnati Bengals , he made clear that he wasn't happy with the direction of the team during its 3-14 season.
Advertisement
At that point, Garrett made clear he wanted to see what Berry and the organization had planned to accelerate a return to playoff contention. If that wasn't good enough, then he was open to going somewhere else.
"I mean, it's a possibility, but I want to be a Cleveland Brown," Garrett said on Dec. 20, when asked if he could see himself not with the Browns. "I want to play here, play my career here. But if we choose to do a rebuild and it's two, three, four years out, I want be able to compete and play at a high level, play meaningful games and be playing past January."
Myles Garrett contract terms with Browns
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Texas A&M University has two years remaining on a five-year, $125-million extension. The conversation, including from Berry, had centered around getting a new extension done.
Advertisement
Garrett, when asked about that extension after the season finale at the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4, said, "I mean, there'll be something coming." Turns out, what was coming was a trade request.
Garrett counts $19.72 million toward the team's 2025 salary cap, and a trade would raise that to $36.22 million. He has a $5 million option bonus due on March 15, a looming deadline for a potential trade due to potential long-term cap issues.
Myles Garrett's age
Garrett turned 29 on Dec. 29. He's appeared in 117 games during his eight-season NFL career with the Browns.
Myles Garrett stats
Garrett rewrote NFL history for sacks, which became an official statistic in 1982, this season. He became the first player to post at least 14 sacks in four consecutive seasons when he sacked Miami Dolphins QB Tyler Huntley in Week 17, which came after he had joined Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor as the only players to post at least 12 sacks in five consecutive seasons the week before.
Advertisement
The same time he joined Taylor in that exclusive club, Garrett also became the youngest player to join the 100-sack club with a sack of Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow . Garrett has 102.5 career sacks.
Garrett finished second in the league in sacks with 14. Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson led with 17.5 sacks.
More Myles Garrett: All-Pro defensive end wants to 'be a Cleveland Brown,' but also wants to see plan for success
Myles Garrett's awards and honors
Garrett, who was also last season's NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press , PFWA and Sporting News, was voted as the Sporting News' NFL Defensive Player of the Year by his peers last week. He was voted to the NFL Players Association's All-Pro team by his fellow players, as well as to the Associated Press All-Pro first team, to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-NFL and All-AFC teams, as well as to the Pro Bowl.
Advertisement
Garrett is also one of five finalists for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, which he won last year. That award will be handed out in New Orleans at the "NFL Honors" show at 9 p.m. Feb. 6.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
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 requests trade from Browns, his contract, stats, more
