One year ago, star defensive end Myles Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns.
The surprising deal came after Garrett requested a trade out of Cleveland. He said he didn’t think the Browns could compete for a title.
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Garrett responded to the extension by setting a single-season NFL record with 23 sacks. The Browns finished 5-12 and in last place in the AFC North.
Earlier this week, the Browns and Garrett agreed to rework contract language, per ESPN. The new language allows the Browns to push back option bonuses due to Garrett from March to just before the regular season.
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Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) celebrates following a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals. The play set an NFL single-season sack record for Garrett. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
On March 26, ESPN personality Evan Cohen said on “Unsportsmanlike” he thinks the contract change will pave the way for the Browns to trade Garrett before the 2026 season.
“He never should have been on the Browns last year,” Cohen said, per ESPN Cleveland’s X account. “The moment he asked out, the Browns should have taken advantage of that and said, ‘We love you. We’re going to retire your jersey.’ … I think it would be ridiculous, ridiculous, for him to play another game for the Cleveland Browns. Here is your opening.”
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Cohen listed teams he thinks should call the Browns in an effort to acquire Garrett, who has a no-trade clause. They included the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.
“Someone should take advantage of this,” he said.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com was perplexed by the move but agreed that a trade could be on the horizon.
“The Browns don’t gain any cap room by making this move unless they actually changed the option amounts this year. They already had the lowest cap charge possible for Garrett, outside of converting some per game bonuses to a signing bonus. All this does is give the team the maximum flexibility to trade Garrett assuming they were to get him to waive a his no-trade clause,” Fitzgerald wrote.
Garrett has 125.5 career sacks, the most in Browns history and 48 more than second-place Bill Glass. He is a two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time first-team All-Pro.
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