We’re sorry if this is something you’ve heard before. The Browns wasted Myles Garrett’s masterpiece on Sunday. Cleveland’s star edge rusher recorded five sacks, a franchise high (plus one forced turnover), and wreaked havoc against Drake Maye. He dominated double teams. He mocked one-on-one situations. He won both from the left and right. Maye was an excellent athlete. It didn’t really matter. Garrett’s 20th five-sack NFL game was not enough to save the Browns from a 32-13 loss. They fell to 2-6. Players with a 5-sack game held a 16-3 winning record before Sunday. The three players who lost were all within three points of their previous losses. The Browns lost by 19.So even though Garrett’s highlights are absurd, the clip that’s gained the most attention is this one of him slamming his helmet late in the defeat.
He sat alone by the end of his bench and watched the clock wind down. Later, he expressed his frustration in a matter-of fact manner.Garrett, when asked about the team’s inability win football games with an offensive that works, said: “It’s not getting any easier every week.”Garrett said that he would “throw away the entire performance” for a victory.
The Browns have been 55-84-1 in their first two seasons since Garrett became the top draft pick. This is the NFL’s 7th worst mark over this time span. They only made the postseason twice. It appears that the Browns have had 15 different starting quarterbacks in that time span. 16 is on the way after head coach Kevin Stefanski said he’ll stick with struggling rookie Dillon Gabriel after the bye.That frustration played a part in Garrett requesting a trade in early February. By the end of the month, reports emerged that he was unwilling to sign a contract extension with the franchise. In early March, reports emerged that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam wouldn’t meet with Garrett, who was considering sitting out games.But two days after that report, Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with Cleveland. Garrett was the highest paid non-quarterback at that time, earning $40 million a year. Micah Parsons took over the throne in the off-season. The Cowboys had granted his request for a trade, sending him to Packers in an incredible blockbuster transaction.
Garrett’s anger and frustration boiled over in his Sunday outburst. As the deadline for trades approaches, it is only natural to speculate if Garrett, who has 10.0 sacks and is tied with the NFL’s top spot, will be traded. It’s not likely to happen, as a closer look reveals.
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Garrett’s frustrations with Browns “As a child dreaming of playing in the NFL, I was focused only on the ultimate goal — winning a Super Bowl. And that goal fuels my life today more than ever,” Garrett stated in a statement he released to the Browns when requesting his trade. The Cleveland Browns’ incredible fanbase and my love for Northeast Ohio made this decision one of the most difficult of my life. The past eight years have helped me become the man I am today.While I love calling this city home, my drive to win and compete at the highest levels will not let me be complacent. The goal never was to move to Canton from Cleveland, but to compete and win the Super Bowl.
“I have asked to be traded by the Cleveland Browns.”That second to last sentence seemed particularly pertinent — and a little bit of a gamble. Garrett’s trading request came about a week after Andrew Berry stated that he had no intention of trading Garrett.”Canton of course is where the Pros play. Football Hall of Fame is located. Garrett is on the right track. Six-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Garrett has been selected for the team four times. He was awarded the Defensive player of the year in 2023 after finishing among the top five for the award in 2022 and in 2024. The Browns, as they have been for most of his career are in trouble. He is tied with the NFL leader this year, with 10.0 sacks. After losing to the Bengals 17-16 in Week 1 — kicker Andre Szmyt missed an extra point and a short field goal — Cleveland got blown out by Baltimore 47-10, and Garrett couldn’t hide his frustration.
Garrett said, “This shite is embarrassing” after the Browns gave up 31 points in the second half. “We need to do better on defense. We have to work together better. They gradually chipped away, but we held them to only three, when we were able to. Eventually, however, the dam broke, and they did whatever they pleased, forcing us to continue playing a 60 minute game.”Could he be traded by the Browns? The short answer is, technically, “yes.” They are not prohibited by any rule. It’s important to be clear that the Browns will not trade Garrett during this season. There’s first the financial issue. A trade of Garrett would result in a dead cap hit for 2026 season of almost $68 million. Russell Wilson, who was released by the Broncos in 2024, has the highest single-season dead cash hit in NFL History at $53 million.
Return is another consideration.”That’s probably more of an offseason consideration when Cleveland could maximize draft choice compensation,” said Joel Corry, a former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst, via text last month. I’m assuming Myles would be more willing to waive his no-trade clause for a playoff contender.”He will make $31.5M in the year 2026. The trade must be made within the first 15 of the 2026 season because a payment of $29.2M is due at that time to exercise the dummy contract year (voiding the 2031 year).The biggest difference is that the Parsons deal was a real trade, while any possible Garrett move would be a dummy (voiding) 2031 contract year. Garrett’s already been paid. Parsons had not been paid.
Garrett’s frustration comes through clearly. Losing is never fun. Nobody enjoys losing. Garrett signed his record-breaking contract knowing that a season such as this would be a reality. He’ll have to endure another season of failure in Cleveland.
2025-10-27 22:41:09
