Browns basically just admitted they care more about Deshaun Watson than Myles Garrett

Since being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has accomplished all of the individual success he could hope for during his eight-year career. As he approaches the latter half of his playing career, the 29-year-old pass rusher is beginning to grow hungrier for the one thing missing from his Hall of Fame résumé: a Super Bowl championship.

In December, Garrett made it clear that he might want to leave Cleveland to win a Super Bowl elsewhere if the Browns couldn't show him a winning blueprint in the offseason.

“First of all, I want to win,” Garrett said in December, via Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot. “I want the Browns to be able to put me and us in position to win. I’m not trying to rebuild. I’m trying to win right now. 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."

Browns could have prevented Myles Garrett's trade request

Apparently, the Browns didn't show him a plan to win — at least not one that was good enough to keep him from publicly requesting a trade on Monday. While the trade request came as a surprise to many fans, it wasn't entirely unexpected. The Browns have been aware of Garrett's request for some time, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. Yet, the team has done little to remedy the issue.

Cleveland went all-in for quarterback Deshaun Watson just a few years ago, but they seem to have no interest in showing the same level of commitment to Garrett. He made it clear that he would want to remain in Cleveland as long as the team made the effort to formulate a winning strategy. If they had done that, the public trade request never would have happened.

Garrett is on a trajectory to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after he retires. In his eight NFL seasons, he has earned five Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections. He was named the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and he's a finalist for the award again this year. He's only the seventh player in NFL history to record 10-plus sacks in seven consecutive seasons. Only Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White has accomplished the feat in eight straight seasons.