After weeks of back-and-forth, the Cleveland Browns and star defensive end Myles Garrett hashed out their differences and finalized a new four-year, $160 million contract that will pay him $40 million per year and make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
Garrett had previously requested a trade after publicly bashing the organization's commitment, or lack thereof, to winning a championship, and he stated he was at the point in his career when he wanted a Super Bowl ring over money.
He seemingly back-tracked pretty quickly one he saw the salary the Browns were willing to pay him to keep him in Cleveland, and he explained he believes the team's fans will be forgiving after seeing he stuck around after all.
"I think I had some frustration, and I feel like that helped us grow and have conversations that were difficult but that needed to be had and helped create a little bit more discourse, helped build some relationships and reaffirm them," Garrett said on Friday.
"And now I feel like we're in a better place and now we can move on. I think the fans will see that my heart is in the right place. It has never been about money. It's always been about winning. That's where my frustration lies."
And while Garrett is one of the NFL's top pass-rushers, and deserves to be paid like one, a concerning new report was published on The Athletic on Friday morning, detailing some troubling behavior Garrett exhibits around the locker room.
"It's well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility," Jason Lloyd wrote. "He has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions. Veterans typically police the locker room on those types of things and create the culture of accountability, but here, it's the best player breaking the rules."
As long as Garrett is putting up the kind of sack numbers he typically does, there likely won't be much made about his alleged tardiness and absences.
But as Lloyd points out, if Garrett starts following the path of disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson, who signed a fully guaranteed $230 million deal with Cleveland a few years ago and seemingly checked out after, then his behavior may become more of an issue among the rest of the Browns players.
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This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 4:02 PM.