Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett made some headlines before the Super Bowl when he vocalized his desire to move on from the Browns and requested a trade from the team.
Both sides have not budged on their stance, with Garrett making it clear that he wants out and the Browns making it clear they are not trading him. On the morning of Friday, March 7th, a report came out that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam refused to even meet with Garrett, but an NFL media member provided some clarity on that situation.
Browns Owner Trusts GM Andrew Bailey To Handle Situation
To provide a summary of the events here, the first report came out from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network that the Browns owner would not meet with Garrett to discuss his trade request.
#Browns star Myles Garrett recently requested a meeting with owner Jimmy Haslam, who declined to speak amidst Garrett’s trade request, per sources.
Both sides are dug in: Cleveland refuses to even discuss a trade, while Garrett is preparing to miss games if he’s not traded. pic.twitter.com/1VMv1xMl1b
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero)
He confirmed that both sides are “dug in,” with the Browns refusing to even discuss the possibility of the trade, while Garrett is “preparing to miss some games if he’s not traded.”
At first glance, the Browns’ refusal to meet with Garrett to discuss the situation seems like a bad move, but another NFL insider shed some light on it.
Mike Garafolo, also of NFL Network, posted a conversation he had on Good Morning Football America to X, detailing that Haslam declined a meeting with Garrett because “he trusts GM Andrew Bailey to handle the situation.”
From @gmfb: #Browns owner Jimmy Haslam declined a meeting with Myles Garrett because he trusts GM Andrew Berry to handle the situation. More 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/iNMdzFAeqa
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo)
This situation seems to involve the two sides fighting with each other through the media to get their side of the story out.
Garrett’s camp, desperately trying to get out of Cleveland, floated the story that they cannot even get a meeting with the team’s owner while also putting the word out there that pass rusher is willing to miss time if he is not traded.
Then, presumably trying to play damage control, the Browns’ side of things made sure to make it known that the only reason Haslam will not meet with Garrett is because he trusts his GM to handle the situation, so there is nothing that Haslam himself needs to do.
Regardless, this is clearly a story that is not going to go away anytime soon. Of the teams interested, the Eagles have been the most heavily linked to Garrett, as there have been multiple reports of Eagles GM Howie Roseman looking into trying to acquire Garrett.
With both sides refusing to give an inch, it remains to be seen how this situation will resolve itself.
