NFL Trade Rumors: Edge Rusher Myles Garrett's Impasse With Cleveland Browns Could Get "Messy"
The Cleveland Browns and superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett may be barrelling toward a major conflict. While appearing on the Dan Le Batard Show, NFL Insider Dianna Russini said a source believes that the Browns' unwillingness to accommodate the six-time Pro Bowler's trade request "could get really messy."
"I had somebody in the league share with me yesterday that they just think this could get really messy...This is about winning for Myles Garrett. This is about him wanting to go be part of an organization that is built toward winning." – @DMRussini joins to provide insight into… pic.twitter.com/iHUgeN8mce
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) February 4, 2025
Per Russini's source, Garrett's dissatisfaction with the Browns sincerely stems from his eagerness to win, and he no longer believes the organization is ready to do so. The Browns, for their part, reportedly do not intend to trade Garrett.
Garrett has shown plenty of patience with the Browns. After going first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, he has contributed eight dominant seasons to the team, including six Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pros, and a Defensive Player of the Year campaign in 2023.
Unfortunately, Garrett's excellence hasn't translated to winning football. In his eight years with the team, the Browns have only managed two winning seasons, and their future looks as bleak as ever. They finished 3-14 in 2024, and they remain stuck with quarterback Deshaun Watson, who tore his Achilles last season and still has two years left on a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
With 102.5 sacks and 116 tackles for loss before his 30th birthday, Garrett is square in the prime of a Hall of Fame career. Players of his caliber are very seldom traded, and teams should be salivating to acquire him. He's unquestionably one of the most valuable non-quarterbacks in the league, and he has the potential to radically improve any defense he lands on. Any team that considers itself a serious playoff contender should strongly consider acquiring him, even if it also means signing him to an extension that makes him one of the league's highest-paid defenders.
Parting with Garrett would ultimately mean the Browns admitting they're going nowhere for the foreseeable future. Still, trading him could be just what the team needs to rebuild their franchise from the ground up. At the very least, negotiations should start with multiple first-round picks. The Browns could use that ammunition to find a young quarterback at some point in the next few drafts or stock their roster with young, affordable talent.
The Browns need to recognize that they have a better chance of competing in 2026 and beyond if they move Garrett. Hostilities could escalate if they wait too long, hurting their bargaining power. Maximizing their return in a trade should be their highest priority.
