A new twist emerged in the standoff between star defensive end Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns Friday morning.
According to reporting from NFL Network, Garrett, who made a public trade request via written statement in February, asked for a meeting with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, ostensibly to discuss that trade request. Haslam, the reports say, declined Garrett’s appeal for a meeting.
The Browns’ owner is placing his full trust in general manager Andrew Berry to handle Garrett’s trade request, according to NFL Network. In response to the request for a meeting, Haslam directed Garrett and his agent to speak with Berry instead.
Garrett is coming off of his second straight year as an All-Pro defensive end and fourth overall since Cleveland drafted him with the first overall pick in 2017. He has two years remaining on the five-year, $125 million contract he signed in 2020, but the Browns have already paid out his guaranteed money.
In Garrett’s trade request, he cited his desire to join a team that can compete for a Super Bowl as he enters his age-30 season.
‘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,’ he wrote. ‘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.’
In the month since Garrett made his request, the message from the Browns has been the same: they have no plans to trade their biggest star. Most recently, Berry told reporters at the NFL combine in Indianapolis that the team ‘can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as part of the organization is best for the Browns.’
The Browns have made the playoffs two times and won one playoff game since drafting Garrett eight years ago. Cleveland is coming off of a 3-14 record that earned the team the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.