Garrett has made his wishes known, but Cleveland’s front office remains unwilling to acquiesce
The saga between Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns concerning the elite edge rusher’s future continues heating up the stale February air. With Garrett initially stating during Super Bowl week his desire to move on from the Browns’ organization, the NFL world lit up with countless conversations about whether Cleveland’s top decision makers would even entertain the idea eating at Garrett.
NFL teams don’t endeavor to part ways with individuals who are talented in the way Garrett has been his entire career. It’s fair to consider him the best active defensive lineman — and certainly the most fearsome in terms of pass rushers. Honestly, why would the Browns, a team so snakebitten every which way, have any interest in saying goodbye to Myles Garrett?
They don’t, as it turns out, and Cleveland’s front office means what’s been stated to this point — that Garrett isn’t going anywhere. In truth, Garrett has two years remaining on his current deal, so the Browns have plenty of reason to dig their heels in right now, even if it isn’t the healthiest course of action for either side of the relationship.
Despite generations of troubles in roster building, the current Browns brass understands how important Garrett is to their success, and they’re prepared to reward him. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has reported that general manager Andrew Barry is “also open to signing him to a blockbuster extension which would likely make him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL at about $40 million a year.”
“He’s also open to signing him to a blockbuster extension which would likely make him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL at about $40 million a year.” - @MaryKayCabot on #Browns GM Andrew Berry possibly extending Myles Garrett. pic.twitter.com/yv9npgFMhS
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) February 26, 2025
That’s a lot of money to turn down, no matter a person’s financial status. Yet, Garrett continued to contend that it’s not about money, and won’t be about pay moving forward — he simply wants out of Cleveland, and an opportunity to play meaningful football in January and beyond.
It comes across as an interesting bit of hardball by the Browns and Barry, where reluctance to acquiesce to Garrett’s request could cost them dearly. Though he’s unlikely to sit on the bench for two seasons, Garrett could hold out parts of both years remaining on his contract. That alone harms Cleveland’s return on investment.
Perhaps worse, ignoring his request and instead throwing a yachtload of money his way comes across as oddly tonedeaf. But what are the Browns supposed to do here — let their best player walk out the door, and potentially find others looking to do the same?
There are no shortage of teams likely interested in trading for Myles Garrett, but it has to come at the right value. That’s certain to look different depending on the team. In the case of the Buffalo Bills, they don’t hold a ton of premium early draft capital, but they do have three selections in the first 64 picks.
What’s it going to take to land Garrett, if he’s even made available? It’s clear the Browns value him as anyone should. Could Bills general manager Brandon Beane even pull something off, or is being an AFC club a nonstarter?
Buffalo also has a financial burden tied up at edge rusher with Von Miller. The 36-year-old former Super Bowl MVP who plays a niche role as a pass-rush specialist is set to carry the second-largest cap hit on the team in 2025, a potent $23.8 million.
Cutting Miller before June 1 saves the Bills $8.4 million in cap space and $17.5 million in cash for 2025. His dead-cap hit would register as $15.4 million. That essentially leaves Buffalo little option other than renegotiating again this offseason, with Miller being asked to take a pay cut in the neighborhood of $9 million.
The bottom line is that Buffalo must figure out next steps with Miller before making a meaningful push to land Garrett. It’s either bring him back if the two sides agree on a reduced contract, or shake hands and part ways knowing the best is likely behind them.
Some might say that Miller’s tenure should give general manager Brandon Beane pause, but Garrett is just 29 and doesn’t carry the same injury history — and he’d for sure play a featured role on defense, eating up plenty of snaps.
Clearly, if Cleveland is prepared to pay Garrett $40 million-plus via contract extension, they’d expect a trade package of similar value, and likely far more lucrative in value. However, Garrett is not a quarterback, and it’s unlikely most teams are going to fall in line with the Browns’ expectations that they be compensated as though he is a QB.
Yet again, for all we know there’s no deal to be made, because the Cleveland Browns appear ready to pay handsomely to roster a frustrated and unhappy Garrett. It doesn’t make a lot of sense from a 30,000-foot view, so time will tell if they change their tune.
As of right now, it sure appears as though Andrew Barry and company are trying to scare teams away from inquiring about Garrett. Is that worth the potential fallout in-house?
Should the Bills turn their attention elsewhere, even if Myles Garrett continues to say all he wants is out of Cleveland? It sure is tempting to dream about a scenario where Von Miller returns on a more affordable deal to team up with Greg Rousseau and new teammate Myles Garrett.