Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has been the biggest story of the 2025 NFL offseason after requesting a trade during Super Bowl week. The Browns have firmly said they are not interested in trading the four-time All-Pro, but Garrett’s agents have reportedly “slammed the door shut” on recent extension talks.
Each day it’s less likely Garrett plays another down for Cleveland despite general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski saying otherwise.
Myles Garrett Doesn’t Want Contract Extension With Cleveland
Garrett came to the Browns after the team went 1-15 in 2016 and was immediately the face of the franchise. He only had seven sacks in an injury-shortened rookie season but has collected 10+ in each season since. The defensive end has been named an All-Pro four times and was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
In 2020, Garrett signed a five-year, $125 million extension — the biggest defensive player contract at the time. According to Over the Cap, he’s due $19.7 million in 2025.
Cleveland made the playoffs in 2020 and 2023, but after only winning three games in 2024, that was enough for Garrett to request a trade. He posted 14 sacks, 47 total tackles, and 22 tackles for loss en route to Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections, so Garrett’s value has never been higher.
The Browns could show their best player some love by offering a big-money extension, but he’s unwilling to listen to offers, according to a recent article from Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
#Browns DE Myles Garrett is unwilling to negotiate a contract extension with the organization, as his agents have apparently “slammed the door shut” on any discussions, per @MaryKayCabot. Garrett remains firm—he no longer wants to be in Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/Ij3GdMUJuh
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 27, 2025
Cabot wrote, “Myles Garrett is ‘not open to’ a contract extension with the Browns…Normally, Browns GM Andrew Berry meets with agents here at the NFL Combine about such matters, but Garrett and his camp, led by agent Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, have apparently slammed the door shut on negotiations.”
That sentiment contradicts what Berry said in his NFL Combine press conference opening statement.
“He’s a huge part of our organization. Really good person. He’s an awesome player. Understand the trade request and everything, but our stance really has not changed. We can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as a part of the organization is best for the Browns.”
Whether or not Garrett stays, Berry has to say that. The situation seems untenable from the defensive end’s side, and his void-heavy contract, paired with Cleveland’s salary cap issues, would make a trade difficult to complete.
In a pre-June 1 trade, Garrett’s cap hit would go from $19.722 million to over $36 million. If Cleveland trades him after June 1, it would save just under $5 million, and the Browns would carry over $20 million in dead money in 2025.
A trade can work for Cleveland if the Browns get it done before the fifth day of the league year. They can save $18.541 million in cap space post-trade, and he has an option bonus due then worth that amount.
If Cleveland trades Garrett before that date or convinces him to move the date of the option bonus back, his cap hit would save around $1 million this year. Garrett’s new team would take on the $18.54 million option bonus and his $1.255 million base salary, so his cap number for the new team would be around $4.5 million.
Berry publicly seems confident his best player will be a career-long Brown, but that sentiment is not matched by the star defensive end.