Browns’ All-Pro Defensive End Asks to Be Traded

Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 4 in Baltimore. Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett has shaken up the upcoming NFL offseason just as he shakes up opposing offenses.

Garrett officially requested a trade from the Browns via a statement on Monday. The 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and four-time All-Pro wants to leave the Browns amid an imminent rebuild and join a Super Bowl contender.

“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the goal of winning a Super Bowl—and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” Garrett said in his 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.”

“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,” he continued. “The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, 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,” Garrett concluded.

Cleveland’s No. 1 draft pick in 2017 out of Texas A&M, the Arlington, Texas, native has been one of the most dominant defensive players in the league for years. Garrett has 102.5 sacks, 20 forced fumbles, 352 tackles, 17 pass deflections, and six fumble recoveries in his career.

Teams have their hands full stopping the forceful 6-foot-4, 272-pound defensive end. Garrett is known for regularly powering past his blockers and getting to the quarterback or disrupting the backfield.

He has two seasons left on his five-year, $125 million deal with the Browns, and the team would see a dead cap hit of $36.21 million this year if a trade occurs before June 1. The Browns can spread out the dead cap hit after that date with $14.75 million for 2025 and $21.45 million in 2026.

Meanwhile, the Browns could stockpile draft capital with the right trade suitor. Teams could easily line up for Garrett’s services because of his ongoing dominance at age 29, but suitors will need ample salary cap space to swing the trade.

Spotrac projects Garrett’s services at an annual market value of $34.3 million, or the equivalent of a four-year, $137.34 million deal. Playoff teams from 2024 that have $50 million or better in cap space include the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington Commanders.

Notable non-playoff teams in or around that range that could contend include the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, both playoff teams from 2024, also have more than $40 million in salary cap space available.

Numerous teams with less salary cap space have already surfaced as possible suitors because of Garrett’s prowess, teams’ needs on defense, and general managers’ willingness to work around small cap numbers. All of the aforementioned teams could use another star on the defensive front, and the same applies to the league’s many cap-strapped teams.

Salary cap constraints landed the Browns in this situation with Garrett. The Browns own the league’s second-worst salary cap status at $27.51 million over the cap. That stems from a 2022 trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, which has cost the Browns a five-year $230 million deal. Cleveland will pay Watson $46 million annually for the next two years after less than $2 million annually the previous two years.

With the Browns careening to 3–14 in 2024 and Watson’s continued injuries and off-field issues, Cleveland faces a rebuild. In Garrett’s eight seasons with the team, the Browns have two winning seasons, two playoff appearances, and just one playoff win.