Before Joe Haden was a standout corner for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was with their AFC North rival Cleveland Browns. Now, Haden has thoughts on Cleveland and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
On the Deebo & Joe podcast, Haden said he thinks the Browns should at least keep the door open for trading Garrett, but only if the team can get a haul in return.
“You have a baller, a generational talent, a Hall of Fame player. If you can get crazy amount of assets for him, you always keep that window open,” Haden said. “Three first-round picks for Myles. And I’m leaving it open. I’m going to need to get a crazy haul for him.”
Despite Garrett’s success last season when he broke the single-season sack record, the Browns finished in the AFC North basement. That’s another reason why Haden thinks the team should consider moving on, as they still have “more holes to fill.”
Last offseason, Garrett made a public trade request before signing a contract extension to remain in Cleveland. Earlier this week, the Browns modified his contract to delay when he’s paid certain bonuses, giving the team more flexibility if they were to trade him. Garrett’s trade value should be quite high right now after he totaled 23 sacks last season. While the trade fell apart, the Baltimore Ravens initially parted with two first-round picks in exchange for EDGE Maxx Crosby. It would make sense that a team trading for Garrett would need to give up more, and likely an additional first.
A trade for Garrett doesn’t seem very likely. But the timing of his modified contract certainly raised a few eyebrows and led to some speculation that the Browns may have a team interested in dealing for Garrett. While trading Garrett would cost the Browns the best pass-rusher in football, a boatload of picks might not be the worst thing for the team’s future. But they were hesitant to deal Garrett last year when he very publicly wanted out, so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the team to flip on that a year later after Garrett put together the best season of his career.
Haden thinks the Browns should at least be willing to listen and see if a team will come with a godfather offer. It’s unlikely, but not implausible, and Garrett’s status will be worth watching a little bit more closely this offseason.
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