Myles Garrett requests trade from the Browns

CLEVELAND — Myles Garrett, arguably the best defensive player in the history of the Cleveland Browns, warned the world on Dec. 20th that he might want out if the team couldn't show him a Super Bowl blueprint. On Monday, he shocked the NFL world by asking the Browns in a statement to trade him, citing his desire to win that elusive Super Bowl. "As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever. My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today," Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year wrote in his statement supplied to cleveland.com. "While I've loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won't allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns." Whether or not he gets his wish coming off a massively disappointing 3-14 season is another story. A league source told cleveland.com that the club's stance hasn't changed since the end of the season, when Berry said in his season-ending press conference that he wanted Garrett to retire as a Brown and go straight from Cleveland to Canton into the Pro Football Hall Fame. "So let me say in terms of Myles, my anticipation, expectation, is that he'll have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton at the end of his [years] and expect him to be here and retire a Brown, quite frankly," Berry said the week after the season. Berry re-iterated that the Senior Bowl last week when he met with a trio of Browns beat reporters covering the event. He said he wouldn't trade Garrett — not even for two first-round picks — and noted emphatically that "you can put that on the record." He said the much-anticipated postseason exit meeting with Garrett went well. "We always have a really good and direct two-way communication with our players," Berry said last week. "We feel really good about Myles obviously as a big piece of our future. Like I said in my (early January) press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over." Berry also said last week he's definitely open to the contract extension that Garrett revealed after the season finale in Baltimore that he's seeking. He's under contract through 2026 at $25 million a year, fifth-highest among NFL edge rushers. Was Garrett taking what could ultimately be a parting shot at Berry with his line about "the goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl?" It seems so, but Garrett, the Browns No. 1 overall pick in 2017, and Berry have always had a great working relationship and rapport. It would be out of character for Garrett to criticize Berry, but perhaps the early contract talks or blueprint for contending didn't go as well as Garrett had hoped. He knows he's on the back nine of his career, and wants Super Bowls attached to his name. The Browns went 0-16 in his first season, and have had only two winning seasons in his eight. He's also only made it to the playoffs twice, winning one out of three games. But in an episode of Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North that aired after the season, Garrett seemed to calm the waters some with optimism for the future. "I've talked to [general manager Andrew Berry]," Garrett said during the episode. "How are we going to make the most of all the talent that's here? We're closer than some may think we are." In his fateful late-season press conference, a somber Garrett revealed for the first time that he might want out. "I want that to be apparent, when the season's over and we have those discussions, I want them to be able to illuminate that for me, illustrate that for me, so that (winning) can be something that I can see in the near future. Because that's all we want to do. "I'm going to stay loyal to a team that showed loyalty to me and faith in me by drafting me. But we have to do, at the end of the day, what's best for us. So if we have that alignment where this is something that is still possible in the near future, winning, going deep in the playoffs, putting a great defense out there, having a time of possession, running-game offense. "Getting all the guys back. I think that would really keep my mind at rest, keep me settled." Garrett, a minority owner of the Cavs, also said he received advice from his friend and colleague LeBron James, who's also represented by Klutch Sports, on needing championships to cement his legacy as one of the greatest edge rushers of all time. James, of course, took his talents to South Beach to win his first NBA title with the Heat. The Browns, in the wake of the failed Deshaun Watson trade with Houston, are in the market for a new starting quarterback and an overhaul of the quarterback room, and Garrett must feel that winning a championship isn't on the horizon as he heads into his ninth season. The Browns can probably get two first-round picks and more for Garrett, who set numerous records in 2024. A finalist once again for Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett's 14 sacks in 2024 were good for second in the league behind Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson's 17.5. He became the first player in NFL history to record 14 sacks in four consecutive seasons and became the fourth-fastest player to reach 100 career sacks. Garrett, 29, is the Browns' all-time sack leader with 102.5 career sacks.