Myles Garrett sends message to Browns front office with fire sale looming

The Cleveland Browns' decision to trade Amari Cooper sends a clear signal to the rest of the NFL that everyone on Cleveland's roster is potentially for sale ahead of the trade deadline. Star edge rusher Myles Garrett may be the current player on the team's roster capable of bringing back the most value in a trade.

Garrett's value does not mean he will be on the move in the coming days. In fact, his public stance that he wants to stay in Cleveland for the long haul may go a long way towards discouraging other teams to make aggressive calls on his availability.

The dominant sack artist reiterated his desire to "end his career" with the franchise that drafted him this week.

“I hope not,” said Garrett, h/t BrownsZone. “I’ve always said I want to play here to the end of my career. I want to win here. I want to bring a championship here, so that doesn’t cross my mind.

“No matter the record, I’m always focused on how we can improve, how we can turn things around. I don’t ever think of doing anything else and we have to finish what we started. Work on where we are now. No one should be worried about the situation with Amari and how that affects them. Everyone’s still here. We have to worry about the situation in which we’re in and how we can make our situation look a lot better by the end of the year.”

Myles Garrett expresses desire to remain with Browns amid fire sale

His wishes do not necessarily prevent GM Andrew Berry and his front office from moving the franchise's best defensive player, but it would be a major public relations blow for a team that's still smarting from their handling of quarterback Deshaun Watson.

At the very least, Garrett's desire to stay in Cleveland will up the amount of trade capital required to pry him away from the Browns. At 28-years-old he's squarely in the prime of his professional career. He may only have four sacks on the young season but his team has been playing behind for long stretches of most games. He has not had an opportunity to rush the passer as frequently as many of his peers around the league.

It is still too early to take Garrett's name out of trade talks. He wants to stay in Cleveland now but there is no telling how he might react if the right contender expresses interest in his services. The franchise defender is saying all the right things at the moment but his status with the Browns could change at any moment.