Back in early February, longtime Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett requested a trade. More than a month removed from his request, Garrett is still a member of the Browns and isn’t going anywhere after landing a huge contract extension.
Following the extension, some of the latest reporting on Garrett may raise some eyebrows. According to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, Garrett has been “frequently” tardy to Cleveland’s facility and has missed multiple mandatory events during his tenure.
“It’s well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility,” Lloyd wrote. “He has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions. Veterans typically police the locker room on those types of things and create the culture of accountability, but here, it’s the best player breaking the rules. That has to change now.”
The Browns and Garrett agreed to terms on a contract extension that will pay him $40 million annually on average and includes a whopping $123.5 million in guaranteed money.
Garrett has yet to play for any other NFL team besides the Browns. He’s spent every one of his eight NFL seasons in Cleveland after the team drafted him with the top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and has been a reliable defensive presence for the Browns in that time. He’s never played fewer than 10 games in a single campaign in the big leagues.
The reasoning behind the defensive end’s former trade request maybe becomes more clear when acknowledging that he hasn’t experienced much team success to go along with his loyalty to the Browns organization.
The Browns have enjoyed just two playoff appearances and one playoff victory since Garrett started out with the team. Cleveland earned its only playoff win in that span back in the 2020 season.
Furthermore, the Browns are on the heels of a woeful 2024 campaign. Cleveland finished with the worst record of any team in the AFC North division at 3-14 and ended the season on a six-game losing streak.
With any luck, the Browns will soon be able to convince Garrett to make sure he’s on time to the team’s facility and attending all mandatory events. The six-time Pro Bowler is one of the more disruptive defensive players in the league when at his best and led the NFL in tackles for loss with 22 a season ago.
