All offseason, fans and analysts have both speculated and urged the Cleveland Browns to trade reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Amid recent discussions, team owner Jimmy Haslam shut down all trade rumors, announcing that the franchise will not deal its superstar pass rusher.
Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam Shuts Down Myles Garrett Trade Rumors
On Wednesday, March 25, ESPN NFL analyst Field Yates reported, “The Browns and refining Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett agreed to some modified language in his contract this week that provides some cap flexibility for the team going forward, as well as some option bonus payment benefit for Garrett.”
Though Yates framed it as nothing more than “cap flexibility,” fans speculated there was something more. Sleeper’s official Cleveland Browns account was the first to float the new rumor. The account wrote: “This would theoretically increase Garrett’s ability to be traded over the summer as it lessens future dead cap hits to the team. Is Myles on the move?”
Over the ensuing days, fan speculation only intensified, especially after a previous report that the Browns had requested a rule change allowing teams to trade first-round picks up to five years in advance, rather than three.
However, on Sunday, March 29, Browns GM Andrew Berry cleared up those rumors, particularly regarding the restructured contract. As per Daniel Oyefusi, Berry told reporters, “lf we wanted to trade Myles, we wouldn’t have needed to make a contract adjustment. So it doesn’t have anything to do with that. Myles is a career Brown. He is one of the faces of our organization. I think we’ve been very clear both past and present…”
Just a day later, Haslam finally put the conversation to rest. Per Oyefusi, Haslam was asked his opinion on trading Garrett to potentially jumpstart a true rebuild. The owner replied, “I can argue that Myles is the best player in the NFL. … I think he’ll remain the best player in the NFL and a top-rate defender for the next five years.”
“Guys like Myles Garrett do not come along very much. They just don’t. They don’t come along. He is a unicorn, and Myles is an integral part of what we do with the Cleveland Browns,” Haslam continued.
Finally, according to Oyefusi, “Haslam said he is ‘absolutely’ convinced that Garrett is committed to the Browns.”
The owner stated, “We spent a lot of time with Myles the day after the season. We had a great conversation about the offseason, direction of the team, what we were looking for, et cetera. [Andrew Berry] talks to Myles regularly.”
“So I doubt Myles is there on April 7th [start of offseason workout program]. But Myles hasn’t shown the need to be there. And we have a new defensive coordinator, but we’re basically going to run the same defense. So I think Myles will be ready to go,” he added.
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This past year, Garrett set the NFL’s record for sacks in a single season with 23.0, a mark that hadn’t been broken since 2001. According to PFSN’s metrics, the Browns’ star posted a 95.6 Impact Score, ranking first among all edge rushers in 2025.
