Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.
Getty
Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.
The Cleveland Browns aren’t trading Myles Garrett — at least, that’s the official line right now. But a quiet contract tweak this week has stirred fresh intrigue across the league, with a potential price tag now beginning to take shape if Cleveland ever decides to listen.
The Browns reworked Garrett’s option bonus timing, pushing it from March to seven days before the regular season. Before the change, Cleveland would have taken a $70.3 million dead cap hit on any pre-June 1 trade. Under the new language, that number drops to $41.09 million — and a post-June 1 deal would carry just $15.53 million against the cap in 2026. Those are far more manageable numbers for a rebuilding team sitting on the best defensive player in the NFL.
That said, ESPN’s Adam Schefter called the Browns directly and received a firm denial.
“I called the Browns and they said they’re 100% definitely not trading Myles Garrett,” Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. “They were adamant about it.”
Teams have issued similar assurances before moving players — and the contract move itself tells a different story than the PR line.
Browns Would Get Massive Haul for Myles Garrett
John Breech of CBS Sports highlighted the now-voided Maxx Crosby trade — two first-round picks to the Raiders from Baltimore — as the baseline, then argued Garrett would command more.
“If the Browns trade Garrett, it won’t be cheap,” Breech wrote. “If Crosby fetched two first-round picks, Cleveland could reasonably ask for three first-rounders or two firsts plus another premium pick. Players like Garrett rarely become available, so if he hits the market, it’s almost certain a team will meet that price — even if it costs three first-rounders.”
Garrett set the single-season sack record with 23 in 2025, finished with 33 tackles for loss, and has 125.5 career sacks since Cleveland selected him No. 1 overall in 2017. He’s also a five-time All-Pro who won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards.
The Browns have also proposed a rule change that would allow NFL teams to trade draft picks up to five years into the future, rather than the current three-year limit — a move that could make it easier for a suitor to spread out the cost of multiple first-rounders over time.
Myles Garrett Would Have Multiple Suitors
Breech identified several legitimate suitors, including the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills. With a decorated résumé, Garrett has made it clear that his intention is to compete for a Super Bowl. All of those destinations bring him closer to that goal.
“A Super Bowl would be great. That’s the way I always wanted my career to go. To be able to knock out each one of these. I would have knocked it out earlier if I could, but it’s all God’s timing,” Garrett told Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland. “Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP would be amazing. But right now, I’m just taking it day by day. I’m happy with what I’ve done. I’m not satisfied but taking a second to breathe. When all the dust is settled, I’m just appreciative that I’ve even got to this point. Taking it one day at a time.”
There’s one important wrinkle in any scenario: Garrett holds a no-trade clause, meaning he has final say over any destination. He’s already proven willing to demand a trade once, and the Browns are no closer to contending than when he made that request in 2024.