Edge rusher Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns on Feb. 3. The request started an immediate media frenzy where pundits named several potential landing spots for the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.
But that doesn’t mean the Browns are going to trade Garrett anytime soon.
Benjamin Solak Predicts ‘Frustrating’ Trade Process for Myles Garrett, Browns
About as quickly as Garrett requested a trade this offseason, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported the Browns are not interested in entertaining offers for the four-time All-Pro edge rusher. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak explained to FanDuel TV host Kay Adams that Cleveland’s position likely isn’t going to change over the summer.
“I think you’re going to see Myles Garrett back in a Browns uniform,” Solak told Adams. “I think it’s going to be frustrating. It’s going to be training camp drama.
“The Browns don’t want to move him. He’s Myles Garrett. You can’t want to move the guy.”
Solak didn’t specify whether Garrett would be wearing that Browns uniform during the preseason or a regular season game. However, the ESPN analyst made it clear that the Garrett drama is going to “last a long time.”
Solak added that a training camp holdout is a possibility. Garrett formally requested a trade through the media at the beginning of the NFL‘s Super Bowl week.
“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 prepared statement. “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.”
Myles Garrett has requested a trade.
His statement: pic.twitter.com/yx5Q9Exa0V
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2025
“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, [Ohio,] 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.”
Difficulty Browns Face With Trading Garrett
The Browns backed their organization into a corner by acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson. A Garrett trade could do similar damage to Cleveland’s salary cap situation
“It will be difficult for the Browns to trade Garrett financially because his contract is wildly voided. With a pre-June 1 trade, his cap hit would go from $19.722 million to over $36 million,” wrote PFSN’s Scott DiBenedetto.
“If Cleveland trades Garrett after June 1, it would save just under $5 million. However, the Browns would carry over $20 million in dead money in 2025.”
While the Browns could receive hefty draft compensation in return for Garrett, pundits will likely view Cleveland as the initial loser of any Garrett trade because he will be the best player in the deal. Trading Garrett will be an even tougher pill to swallow for the Browns if they also take a significant dead cap hit in 2025.
According to Spotrac, the Browns are already more than $27 million over the salary cap as of Feb. 17. Moving on from Garrett will make the team’s roster worse and put them in a more dire cap situation.