The NFL offseason supplied an early dopamine hit for those with a taste for drama when Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns.
In an eloquent and heartfelt letter to the fanbase, Garrett explained his reasons for wanting out and made it abundantly clear that his patience has run out in Cleveland. The Browns, however, are not obligated to move Garrett with two years left on his contract. Garrett can make life uncomfortable, but it might be worth it if the Browns perceive a path forward.
For his part, general manager Andrew Berry has made his stance well known, dubbing Garrett "unmovable" and expressing interest in a long-term partnership.
Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry confirmed that Myles Garrett is “unmovable” after his request for a trade. pic.twitter.com/JKQXWmr0dR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 25, 2025
Of course the Browns want to keep Garrett, but the lengths Cleveland is apparently willing to go to are alarming. Especially for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
According to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns are willing to line up a historic extension worth approximately $40 million per year. That would make Garrett the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL and give him plenty of incentive to reconsider his future with the team that drafted him.
“He’s also open to signing him to a blockbuster extension which would likely make him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL at about $40 million a year.” - @MaryKayCabot on #Browns GM Andrew Berry possibly extending Myles Garrett. pic.twitter.com/yv9npgFMhS
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) February 26, 2025
That is... a lot of money. Especially for a 29-year-old with the mileage Garrett has accrued over the years. If you're a Steelers fan worried about T.J. Watt's future, then it's doubly concerning. Not only would the Browns keep Garrett, but it would reset the market for star pass-rushers and potentially price Pittsburgh out of the Watt sweepstakes.
Steelers will be rooting for Browns to not pay Myles Garrett an absurd amount
Garrett has earned every penny, of course. He may very well be the best defensive player in the NFL, so paying him accordingly is not outside the realm of reason. That said, the Browns need to tread carefully. The NFL is a brutal league. It takes a toll on guys. Garrett is hardly ancient at 29, but folks tend to start falling off after their 30th birthday. Paying Garrett $40 million three, four, or five years from now could backfire in spectacular fashion.
There is a fine line between fighting hard to keep your guys and compromising the entire roster in order to appease a single player. The Browns already have Deshaun Watson carrying a $72.9 million cap hit into a season he will not play in. There have been rumblings of Cleveland poking around the likes of Matthew Stafford or Kirk Cousins, potentially at a great cost. The QB position remains unsettled. Handing Garrett $40 million a year complicates everything.
If the Browns select a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in April's NFL Draft, that might help ease the concern a little bit. The biggest impediment to star contracts leaguewide are expensive quarterbacks. Cleveland already has one in Watson, but there's still flexibility under the cap sheet right now. Adding a starting QB on a team-friendly, four-year rookie scale contract might help the Browns pay Garrett without completely icing the books elsewhere. Still, though, it's a lot. And the ramifications across the league are considerable with names like Watt and Micah Parsons eligible for their own big-money extensions.
The Steelers absolutely want Garrett out of Cleveland, so this is an easy rooting interest to embrace at the end of the day. If Cleveland pays Garrett, he's stuck in the AFC North long term and Watt becomes exorbitantly expensive — even more so than he already is. If Garrett gets the boot because the Browns come to their senses and reset, well, the Steelers can breath a bit easier.