Cleveland Browns coach has the perfect message for fans who are worried about Myles Garrett not participating in voluntary minicamp

Myles Garrett has had an interesting offseason with the Cleveland Browns, to say the least. A trade request surfaced in February, but the Browns stood firm, refusing to entertain it. That situation ultimately ended with the team awarding Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback contract in NFL history at the time.

The Browns were always expected to pay Garrett, so his extension wasn’t a surprise. With the new deal, the expectation is for him to continue performing at an All-Pro level—a standard he has maintained for the past several seasons and should continue to uphold.

During voluntary OTAs, Garrett was notably absent, spending time in places like Japan. With mandatory minicamp taking place this week, he is expected to be in attendance, especially now that there are no contract issues looming. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz offered some perspective last week for those concerned about his absence from the voluntary sessions.

“I mean, this is a voluntary portion,” Schwartz said. “We know Myles works hard no matter where he is, no matter what time of year it is. He’s a veteran player who has proven himself in this league. We have a lot of guys out here who are trying to reach that level, and they’re working hard every day to do that. Every player is a little bit different, but this is a voluntary part of the schedule, and we’re happy with the guys that are here—they’re all working really hard.”