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Star defensive end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, he announced in a statement Monday.
“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,” Garrett said in the statement.
Myles Garrett has requested a trade.
His statement: pic.twitter.com/yx5Q9Exa0V
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2025
Speculation over Garrett’s future in Cleveland had ramped up in recent months after he made comments about wanting to know the team’s offseason plans following a 3-14 season before further committing to the organization. The 29-year-old has two years remaining on the record-breaking five-year, $125 million extension he signed in 2020 but no more guaranteed salary.
PlayerSacksReggie White (1985-92)124DeMarcus Ware (2005-12)111T.J. Watt (2017-24)108Jared Allen (2004-11)105Myles Garrett (2017-24)102.5– ESPN Research
In late December, Garrett said he did not want to go through another rebuild in Cleveland, which holds the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. At the conclusion of the sixth losing season he has experienced since entering the league in 2017, Garrett said the 2024 season was more disappointing than Cleveland’s 0-16 season in his rookie season. When asked if an extension this offseason would hinge on his talks with Cleveland’s higher-ups, Garrett said, “I mean, there’ll be something coming.”
However, in an episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that aired Jan. 14, Garrett said he had talked to Browns general manager Andrew Berry about how they were going to get the most out of the talent they have.
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“We’re closer than some may think we are,” Garrett said.
Twice in the past month, Berry said he does not intend to trade Garrett or entertain offers for the six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection. At his end-of-season news conference, Berry said, “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.”
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Berry told reporters at the Senior Bowl last week that he would not trade Garrett, even for a hypothetical offer of two first-round picks.
The Browns’ stance on trading Garrett has not changed amid his trade request, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday.
This past season, Garrett became the first player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to record 100 career sacks before his 29th birthday. Garrett was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023 season, and his 14 sacks in 2024 ranked second in the NFL.
The Browns originally selected Garrett with the first overall pick in the 2017 draft. Since entering the league, Garrett’s 102.5 sacks trail only the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt (108).
