Star DE Myles Garrett asks for a trade to a contender from the Browns.

 

Feb 3, 2025, 09:39 PM

NFL star defensive end Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has announced his request to be traded from the Cleveland Browns in a statement released Monday.

"While I have cherished my time in this city, my ambition to compete at the highest level and win a Super Bowl pushes me to seek more," Garrett said in the statement. "My goal was never just to go from Cleveland to Canton; it’s always been about competing for championships."

Garrett's future with the Browns had been in question after recent comments where he expressed the need to understand the team's offseason plans following their disappointing 3-14 season. The 29-year-old, who has two years left on his five-year, $125 million extension signed in 2020, no longer has guaranteed salary left on the deal. Back in December, he revealed his desire to avoid another rebuild in Cleveland, which holds the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Reflecting on his sixth losing season since entering the league in 2017, Garrett remarked that the 2024 season was more disheartening than Cleveland's infamous 0-16 record during his rookie year. When asked if his commitment would depend on an extension, Garrett cryptically responded, "There’ll be something coming."

However, in a Jan. 14 episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, Garrett revealed he had spoken with Browns GM Andrew Berry about maximizing the team's talent.

“We’re closer than some may think,” Garrett said.

Despite Garrett’s request, Berry has reiterated that the team has no plans to trade their star player. At his end-of-season press conference, Berry expressed his expectation that Garrett would eventually retire as a Brown, stating, “My anticipation, expectation is that he’ll have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton.” Berry also made it clear last week at the Senior Bowl that Garrett was not on the trading block, even in exchange for two first-round picks.

This past season, Garrett became the first player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to record 100 career sacks before turning 29. He was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year for 2023, and his 14 sacks in 2024 ranked second in the NFL.

Garrett was selected by the Browns with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. His career sack total of 102.5 ranks second only to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, who has 108.