Five weeks passed between Myles Garrett demanding a trade and his record-setting contract extension with the Browns, a shift that settles a brief, dramatic standoff between the defensive end and the Cleveland franchise.
Garrett said Friday he demanded a trade on Feb. 3 mostly because he wanted assurances the Browns are chasing the same goals.
“I think I had some frustration and I feel like that helped us grow and have conversations that were difficult but that needed to be had and helped create a little bit more discourse, helped build some relationships and reaffirm them,” Garrett said Friday. “And now I feel like we’re in a better place and now we can move on.
“I think the fans will see that my heart is in the right place,” he continued. “It has never been about money. It’s always been about winning. That’s where my frustration lies.”
Garrett said he was at the team’s Berea, Ohio, complex to greet and help the Browns recruit free agent quarterback Russell Wilson. Cleveland also acquired Kenny Pickett, a first-round pick with the Steelers who spent last season with the Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Garrett, 29, said he wants Wilson to join the Steelers because he knows he’d “be an asset.”
How much help Cleveland can reel in before the 2025 season was impacted by the Garrett signing: his reported four-year, $160 million extension includes $123.5 million guaranteed.
But the four-time All-Pro said he felt confident Cleveland is capable of rebounding after heartfelt conversations with general manager Andrew Berry. Berry insisted there was no scenario in which trading Garrett made the Browns better. He also convinced Garrett that was the case.
Garrett, who has 102.5 sacks in 117 career regular-season games, said they’ve discussed “plans and (the) future of this team and how we can turn this around and turn Cleveland into a winner.”
The first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft by Cleveland, Garrett said he always wanted to finish his career where it started and doesn’t regret his trade demand.
“Just like family, sometimes you fight and you have to go through things,” Garrett said. “We will get through this and we’ll come out right on the other side.”
–Field Level Media
