Mike Florio doesn't agree with the Cleveland Browns' decision to extend star defender Myles Garrett.
Florio appeared on an episode of the Rich Eisen Show on Monday. The Editor in Chief of Pro Football Talk says that the Browns will regret just throwing money at Myles Garrett instead of fixing the Deshaun Watson mistake by trading Garrett for picks to try and rebuild around.
“They gave up 3 1st round picks plus multiple additional draft picks to get Watson. That’s part of the cost of that deal that doesn’t get discussed very much. What could they have gotten for Garrett, they necessarily gave that up by dumping the money into Garrett now,” Florio said at the 2:14 mark.
“Whatever they could’ve gotten via trade, that’s gone. Who knows if they even explored it, there were never any reports that they were, but they could have. It’s not just a one-way decision for the Browns to dig deep and throw enough money at the problem to at least solve it short term.”
Why Browns chose to keep Myles Garrett
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) celebrates after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (not pictured) during the first half at Huntington Bank Field.
© Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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Mike Florio says the Cleveland Browns throw money at problems, which the two examples would be the Deshaun Watson trade and the latest Myles Garrett deal.
The Browns had given the Texans the 1st & 4th round picks in 2022, 1st & 3rd in 2023, and 1st and 4th in 2024. Those picks resulted in: Eagles took Jordan Davis with 13th overall pick in 2022 via trade with Texans. Lions took Jahmyr Gibbs with 12th overall pick in 2023 via trade with Texans. Jaguars took Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd overall in 2024 via trade through Texans, and Vikings.
All those players and picks originated from the Watson trade. So Florio points out that not only are those players the Browns could’ve had, but they could’ve also made up for losing them by moving Garrett in a deal to acquire more picks.
Nonetheless, they remained committed to one of their most important defensive players on the team. Garrett is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he appeared in all 17 games. He recorded 47 tackles, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection.
The Browns will look to recover from a disappointing 3-14 season in 2024. They also hope to return to playoff contention following their postseason appearance in 2023.