Browns GM Clears Air on Whether the Team Is Trading Myles Garrett Following the Contract Revisions

The Browns GM Andrew Berry declined to comment on the recent restructure on Myles Garrett's contract, but made it clear that the pass rusher is staying in Cleveland.

Browns GM Clears Air on Whether the Team Is Trading Myles Garrett Following the Contract Revisions

Myles Garrett (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Browns GM Andrew Berry confirms Myles Garrett is not being traded despite recent contract restructuring.
  • Garrett's contract adjustment provides the team with cap relief and flexibility for future seasons.
  • Berry emphasizes Garrett's importance as a "career Brown" and a key player in the team's defense.

Myles Garrett silenced any speculation about leaving the Cleveland Browns by signing a four-year extension just before the start of last NFL season. So, it caused a massive stir when the Browns restructured Garrett’s contract a year later.

Rumors started circulating that Garrett could become available for trade in the ongoing trade cycle. General manager Andrew Berry dismissed all the reports by claiming that the 30-year-old pass rusher is staying in Cleveland.

The Browns are embarking on a new chapter with a fresh coaching staff in place. Losing Garrett right now does not make much sense. When a group of Browns beat writers pushed him to elaborate on the recent restructuring of Garrett’s contract, Berry seemed slightly annoyed.

Berry started his defense by calling Garrett a “career Brown” and “one of the faces of organization.” Trading the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is out of the question. 2025 might have ended on a sour note for them, but the Browns still have one of the top defenses in football, led by Garrett.

The defense is not the only area that has Berry excited. He gave a shoutout to the offense, which the Browns can still improve by using the nine picks they own in April’s draft in Pittsburgh.

We’ll always do what we think is in the best interest of the organization… We’ll always do what’s best for the organization, but we feel really good about our roster right now before the draft.

Berry told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com

When asked why he revised Garrett’s contract, Berry didn’t give an answer, simply calling the move “standard practice.”

[It’s] standard practice, I don’t comment on player contracts. I guess probably the easiest thing to say is, if we wanted to trade Myles [Garrett], we wouldn’t need to make a contract adjustment, so it doesn’t have anything to do with that.

Berry said

Garrett initially signed a four-year, $160 million contract with $123.5 million guaranteed and an average salary of $40 million/year. This extension made him the highest-paid pass rusher at that point in time. According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, in the latest adjustment to his contract, the Browns shifted option bonuses for 2026, 2027, and 2028 from March to September, giving them six months of cap relief in each of those years.

Will the Browns still trade Myles Garrett following the contract restructure?

The new arrangement helped push Garrett’s options bonuses until seven days before the regular season in each of the next three seasons. Previously, the Browns would’ve had to exercise the options by the 15th day of the league year, but now they can do so a week before the regular season starts.

Browns GM Clears Air on Whether the Team Is Trading Myles Garrett Following the Contract Revisions
Myles Garrett (Image via IMAGO)

This allows the Browns to divert their attention to either area rather than staying concerned about Garrett putting in a trade request. OTC noted,

If Garrett had his option picked up today [or they had to restructure his contract to get the low cap charge he currently has], the cost to trade him on the cap would have been $70.3 million on a trade during the draft and $21.4 million for 2026 and $48.69 million in 2027 if traded in the summer. The acquiring team would only be responsible for $2.3 to $3.3 million in salary for the year.

If the Browns still accept a trade proposal somewhere down the line, then the acquiring team would be on the hook for $31.5 to $32.5 million in salary, and the Browns would owe nothing. That is a big if at the moment. Browns fans can breathe easy, the single-season sack record holder isn’t likely to go anywhere, anytime soon.

Garrett was phenomenal last year. In 17 starts, he racked up 60 combined tackles, 23 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and 3 forced fumbles.

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