Cleveland Browns star pass-rusher Myles Garrett dropped his own Friday news-dump announcement when he suggested he could ask for a trade ahead of the weekend if he learns the organization will begin a roster “rebuild” this coming offseason.
Following a 24-6 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday that dropped Cleveland to 3-12, Garrett reminded those running the Browns that he wants “to get to winning” sooner rather than later.
“There’s nothing that I said that anybody was unaware of,” Garrett said about his previous comments, as Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer shared. “I’ve always been focused on winning. So that’s just what we’ll talk about after the last game.”
The Browns have notched two playoff appearances and one postseason victory since they made Garrett the first pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has been the subject of trade rumors for months, largely because Cleveland is stuck with what’s left of the massive five-year contract the club gave quarterback Deshaun Watson back in March 2022 and, thus, likely won’t compete for much of note before the 2026 season at the earliest.
Garrett turns 29 on the final Sunday of December and is under contract through the 2026 campaign. It’s believed he’d be worth multiple high-value draft picks if the Browns shopped him over the next few months.
Garrett said on Friday that he wants to “play meaningful games and be playing past January.” Meanwhile, Watson failed to show during his Cleveland tenure that he could help make such dreams a reality before he missed over half of the 2023 season with a serious shoulder injury and ruptured his right Achilles tendon in October.
Unless the Browns trip and fall into a QB1 during the upcoming draft, they must consider acquiring an inexpensive option, such as recently benched Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, to compete with Watson. In short, it’s understandable why Garrett feels so frustrated ahead of Christmas.
One couldn’t blame the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for shutting things down to ensure he stays healthy through Week 18. However, Garrett hinted after Sunday’s loss he won’t go down such a route.
“It’s important to represent the team that took a chance on me,” Garrett added. “The brothers that fight every single day, each in practice, mentally, physically going out there. I’m willing to lay it all on the line for those guys because I expect the same, and there’s no quit in my blood. I was raised like that, and I want to be able to represent the colors that I wear and the name on the back of my jersey.”
Garrett and the Browns will next host the 7-8 Miami Dolphins this coming Sunday. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Cleveland as a 5.5-point underdog for that matchup.
