The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has requested a trade. Myles Garrett released a statement wanting to be traded from the Cleveland Browns. This comes after general manager Andrew Berry recently stated that he wasn’t interested in moving Garrett, no matter the compensation.
Garrett has been the cornerstone of Cleveland’s defense since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2017, and his comments make it clear he’s not on the same page as Cleveland’s management group.
Myles Garret Demands Trade Going Into Final Year Under Contract
Garrett came to the Browns after the team went 1-15 in 2016 and was immediately the face of the franchise. He only had seven sacks in an injury-shortened rookie season but has collected 10+ in each season since. The defensive end has been named an All-Pro four times and was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
In 2020, Garrett signed a five-year, $125 million extension — the biggest defensive player contract at the time. According to Over the Cap, he’s due $19.7 million in 2025.
Cleveland made the playoffs in 2020 and 2023, but after only winning three games in 2024, that was enough for Garrett to request a trade.
Myles Garrett has requested a trade.
His statement: pic.twitter.com/yx5Q9Exa0V
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2025
Cleveland has some options, but it will be difficult for the Browns to trade Garrett financially because his contract is wildly voided. With a pre-June 1 trade, his cap hit would go from $19.722 million to over $36 million.
If Cleveland trades Garrett after June 1, it would save just under $5 million. However, the Browns would carry over $20 million in dead money in 2025.
Cleveland also has -$27.5 million in cap space as of right now. The Browns would clear a lot of that if they void Deshaun Watson’s deal or get cap credits, but they need to become cap-compliant. Adding more than $17 million in dead money by trading their best player is not going to make that happen.
A Garrett trade can work for Cleveland if the Browns get it done before the fifth day of the league year. They can save $18.541 million in cap space post-trade, and he has an option bonus due then worth that amount. If Cleveland trades Garrett before that date or convinces him to move the date of the option bonus back, his cap hit would save around $1 million this year.
Garrett’s new team would take on the $18.54 million option bonus and his $1.255 million base salary, so his cap number for the new team would be around $4.5 million.
Berry seemed confident his best player would be a career-long Brown, but that sentiment is not matched by the star defensive end. The 2024 season was an awful one for the Browns, and 2025 is already off to a poor start.
