The Cleveland Browns avoided a major setback this offseason.
Myles Garrett put fans in a frenzy by publicly requesting a trade.
He then embarked on a media tour during Super Bowl weekend and reportedly attempted to schedule a meeting with owner Jimmy Haslam.
That’s why Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus believes that getting Garrett to sign a contract extension was the team’s best offseason move.
“Extending Myles Garrett,” Wasserman wrote. “At one point this offseason, serious trade rumors surrounded Myles Garrett, who was unsatisfied with his contract. The Browns were already reeling on offense, and if they jettisoned Garrett, their defense would suddenly be suffering in similar fashion. Instead, they gave Garrett a record-setting pay raise, which at least provides the league’s eighth-highest-graded defense from 2024 another chance to succeed.”
Garrett’s contract extension was a controversial subject.
The Browns wouldn’t have gotten much financial relief by trading him, but they could’ve landed a stellar package in return.
Given Cleveland’s lack of youth, perhaps that would’ve been the clearest path to a rebuild and getting back to contention in a couple of years.
On the other hand, a team never wants to give up its best player, and Garrett is a former Defensive Player of the Year, arguably the best pass rusher in the game, and one of the greatest players in franchise history.
The Browns were always adamant that they would not consider trading him, making it clear that they had no intention of satisfying his request.
Ironically, Garrett then got a no-trade clause in his new contract, leading fans to speculate whether he was ever serious about wanting to get traded or if he was just trying to use his leverage to get more money.
Whatever the case, what matters is that Garrett isn’t going anywhere.
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