Myles Garrett, the Cleveland Browns’ superstar defensive end, has spent his entire career with the franchise after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. But now, it appears he’s looking for a way out.
On Monday morning, Garrett took to social media to officially request a trade from the Browns, citing his “ultimate goal” of winning a Super Bowl—a goal he no longer believes is achievable in Cleveland.
“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever,” Garrett wrote in a statement to Adam Schefter. “My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.
“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. 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.”
Just last week at the Senior Bowl, Browns General Manager Andrew Berry told reporters that the team had no plans to move Garrett. However, that was before Garrett’s public trade request. It remains to be seen whether this statement will prompt the Browns to reconsider their stance.
Regardless, the news of Garrett’s trade request made wave throughout the NFL, sparking a lot of reactions.
“Myles Garrett requested a trade and the vast majority of Browns fans are siding with him over it. Do you know how much damage to a fanbase an ownership group has to do for that to happen?” Ben Axelrod of Awful Announcing wrote in a post on X.
“If the Mavs had waited 36 hours they coulda traded Luka for Myles Garrett,” Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports joked.
“Started to think of teams that will make a call then realized it’s easier to list teams who WON’T make a call,” Mina Kimes of ESPN wrote.
“Even the most devoted Browns fan would have to understand. He’s been arguably the best defensive player in the league, and he deserves a chance to play for a competitive team,” Jerod Smalley of NBC4 wrote.
“Like the bold. But Comic Sans would’ve taken this request to another level,” independent journalist Tyler Dunne wrote.
Should the team decide to part ways with Garrett, he would instantly become one of the most sought-after players in the league, given his status as one of the NFL’s premier and most consistent pass rushers.
